It's something I've always been captivated by, walk-up music. Walk up music is the music that is going to take you as a batter from "minding your own business while taking a few hacks in the on deck circle" to "let's destroy a pitchers composure and totally destroy a baseball" mode. It's something as a kid you would do in the sandlot. Walk to the plate humming your favorite song mentally pumping yourself up for what was sure to be the hardest pine cone ever hit (Yeah, I grew up in a third world country. We hit unopened pine cones with sticks and I've got the scar to prove it). Nothing sets the tone for any event better than music. Try me here. You have a meeting with the boss today? Bust out the headphones and listen to you favorite song while walking towards his office, you'll walk in with more confidence. On a drive to propose to your girlfriend (Andy, this means you)? Throw on your favorite jam and you'll be ready to knock the proposal out of the park! Music, it's a game changer.
That said, over the past few games I've compiled a list of songs that the Indians play for their walk up music. Now as of right now I don't think the players are choosing what music they walk up to individually. I'm hoping that this will change in the next few weeks and that each Indian gets to choose the song that they walk up to (like they do in the pro's), but as of now the walk up music is just kind of random for each team.
If you don't have Spotify, download it. Now. Get the app, get it on your PC, get it everywhere because it's awesome. Once you have it you can subscribe to the playlist below and prep yourself on your drive to the games by getting familiar with the songs you'll hear snippets of later that night.
Also, I know I'm missing a bunch of the songs so if you know some I'm missing let me know so I can add them to the playlist:
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Hot Diggity Dogs And A Walk Off To Boot
When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)
And everybody havin' a ball (Hah, ho, Yippie Yi Yo)
I tell the fellas "start the name callin'" (Yippie Yi Yo)
And the girls report to the call
The poor dog show down
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
And everybody havin' a ball (Hah, ho, Yippie Yi Yo)
I tell the fellas "start the name callin'" (Yippie Yi Yo)
And the girls report to the call
The poor dog show down
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
-Baha Men
That was the very first thing I heard as Solomon pulled me through the 3rd base entrance of Avista Stadium last night. The first ever "Bark In The Park" was underway and I was already in way over my head. Let's get things set straight right off the bat, I'm not a pet guy. Really, I'm not an animal guy. Never been my thing. My sister had pets growing up but I never really latched onto them or cared that we had them. Most of that stems from the fact that all cats and most dogs make my eyes swell up to the size of softballs and the rest comes from the fact that pets can't play video games with me or break down the X's and O's of an NBA game. Solomon and Charlie (Andy and Jaelyn's dogs) are my boys though and they deserved a trip to the ballpark.
Now like I was saying earlier I'm not a pet guy. I've never owned my own pet. So when Andy handed me the leash to Solomon I had no clue what I was supposed to do. Do I walk and Solomon just follows me? Does he take off sprinting and I just have to keep up? Do I whistle like Iron Will and Solomon's brain and my brain become one and we work as a team ("team" in my brain is more like a Megazord than a team)? I ended up utilizing more of a hold on tight and pray that Solomon doesn't jump on anyone.
After the first five minutes of getting the hang of how to work the leash we were in the ballpark making our way towards the left field bleachers which were dedicated to the dogs. This was when I had my "Hey everyone, I have no idea what I'm doing and all of America hates me now" moment. As we got to the end of the left field entrance and the Baha Men were wrapping up on the sound system the following announcement was made, "Please rise and remove your hats for the singing of the National Anthem". Normally this is a favorite moment of mine in the ballpark. It's not so great though, when you've got a dog that is excited to be in a new environment AND is surrounded by a million other dogs that need to be sniffed. It's even worse when the gal singing the anthem decides to hold every note of Francis Scott Key's 1814 smash hit. There were probably between 50 and 70 dogs at the ballpark last night and only ONE decided to sing along... Solomon. Like I've said over and over, I don't own a dog. I've never owned a dog. I'm not a dog whisperer. I don't know the words you say to dogs so that they listen to you. So for what felt like 30 minutes the entire stadium stared at the knucklehead in left field that couldn't get his dog under control. Just like that I was hated by the non-dog owners for being disrespectful and hated by the dog owners for not being a good pet owner. Immediately I was the outcast of the night and Solomon gave me the look of "got ya sucker".
Once that was done though things settled down out in left field for Andy and me. Well, besides the constant "woof woof woof" from section leader Tommy The Tank (I truly believe his goal last night was to insight a dog riot that would lead out onto the field so that he could film what would turn into an amazing viral video), and the one foul ball that landed in the middle of the largest section of dogs. A foul BALL that caused every dog in the section to go into a "Who the heck threw this and how do I return it so they can throw it again" uproar. We made it to the 4th inning before taking the dogs back out to Andy's rig where he has turned the back into a palacial estate for the dogs. Next year I hope they do it again because it really seemed fun for the dog owners and ended up being smooth sailing from what we saw. And next year I hope Jaelyn takes her dog with Andy so that I can sit in the right field bleachers, as far away as possible from a night of gripping a leash so tight that the muscles in my hand are still sore today.
PS. A magical baseball game happened last night too. For more on that (with some special video) click the "Read More" or just keep scrolling down.
Magical stuff happens on weird nights. Once we had the dogs put away, Andy and I were able to head back into Avista and enjoy what ended up being an amazing ending to a very successful series against the Boise Hawks (spoiler, the Indians won increasing the winning streak to 4 games). The weather wasn't really co-operating. A misty rain was the story all night and it got pretty thick from about the 7th inning on. Between the cold wet "rain" and the fact that it was Monday night, Avista stadium was pretty dead by the 7th inning.
A 2-2 game going into the 8th with just a couple hundred die hards fighting the cold, the wet and sleep to see if the Indians could keep the win streak alive (spoiler, they do). The Indians scored on a throwing error by JOSE DORE (more on him in a bit) to take a 3-2 lead into the top of the ninth. A four game win streak was in sight as was bedtime. That's when one of the Indians employees, Nick, who had been at the stadium since early that morning and was showing signs of fatigue, decided to tempt fate. "We've got this one." NICK! Have you learned nothing about baseball??? Those words are notoriously famous last words. Sure enough after a couple basehits and a ground out by Shawon Dunston Jr drove in the game tying run we were all trying to figure out if this rainy late Monday night was going to turn into an even more miserable, more rainy, more tired early Tuesday morning.
Before we get to the walk off homerun by Chris Garia, a walk off blast so monstrous that it will have an actual monster named after it in the next "Monsters Inc/University" movie, let's talk about the greatest person to heckle at an Indians game... the first base coach for the opposing team. The first base coach isn't a guy from the managerial staff, no it's just a player that I assume no one wants to hang out with in the dugout because he loves brown nosing the manager. This series that guy was our new friend, Jose Dore. All weekend we yelled at Jose Dore. About his cleats, about his stance, about his wrist tape that he wore while coaching first base..., about his jogging style, about anything and everything Jose Dore had to offer. And you know what, when the skipper subbed him into the game on Monday night in a 2-2 game we were in his head. So much so that Jose Dore threw a routine toss to first into right field giving the Indians a 3-2 lead. SO much so that in the bottom of the 10th Jose Dore "First base coach extraordinaire" turned back into Jose Dore "Third baseman extraordi-ERROR":
Once that was done though things settled down out in left field for Andy and me. Well, besides the constant "woof woof woof" from section leader Tommy The Tank (I truly believe his goal last night was to insight a dog riot that would lead out onto the field so that he could film what would turn into an amazing viral video), and the one foul ball that landed in the middle of the largest section of dogs. A foul BALL that caused every dog in the section to go into a "Who the heck threw this and how do I return it so they can throw it again" uproar. We made it to the 4th inning before taking the dogs back out to Andy's rig where he has turned the back into a palacial estate for the dogs. Next year I hope they do it again because it really seemed fun for the dog owners and ended up being smooth sailing from what we saw. And next year I hope Jaelyn takes her dog with Andy so that I can sit in the right field bleachers, as far away as possible from a night of gripping a leash so tight that the muscles in my hand are still sore today.
PS. A magical baseball game happened last night too. For more on that (with some special video) click the "Read More" or just keep scrolling down.
Magical stuff happens on weird nights. Once we had the dogs put away, Andy and I were able to head back into Avista and enjoy what ended up being an amazing ending to a very successful series against the Boise Hawks (spoiler, the Indians won increasing the winning streak to 4 games). The weather wasn't really co-operating. A misty rain was the story all night and it got pretty thick from about the 7th inning on. Between the cold wet "rain" and the fact that it was Monday night, Avista stadium was pretty dead by the 7th inning.
Before we get to the walk off homerun by Chris Garia, a walk off blast so monstrous that it will have an actual monster named after it in the next "Monsters Inc/University" movie, let's talk about the greatest person to heckle at an Indians game... the first base coach for the opposing team. The first base coach isn't a guy from the managerial staff, no it's just a player that I assume no one wants to hang out with in the dugout because he loves brown nosing the manager. This series that guy was our new friend, Jose Dore. All weekend we yelled at Jose Dore. About his cleats, about his stance, about his wrist tape that he wore while coaching first base..., about his jogging style, about anything and everything Jose Dore had to offer. And you know what, when the skipper subbed him into the game on Monday night in a 2-2 game we were in his head. So much so that Jose Dore threw a routine toss to first into right field giving the Indians a 3-2 lead. SO much so that in the bottom of the 10th Jose Dore "First base coach extraordinaire" turned back into Jose Dore "Third baseman extraordi-ERROR":
The moral of that long story. Heckle the third base coach. (Thanks to some ACTUAL good fielding the Hawks got out of that inning with a double play. Dore was not involved in that)
An empty-ish ballpark is a weird place. When the 11th inning rolled around it was almost 10:30pm and with the rain going on hour 4 the crowd consisted of anxious Indians employees ready to get off work, Andy, me and a handful of die hard fans that apparently had Tuesday off. When a ballpark is empty like that you really feel like you're part of the game. If you yell something, "NO WAY JOSE!! NOT ANOTHER ERROR!", the entire stadium hears it. Players and all. So in the bottom of the 11th with a man on base and Chris Garia, the man who hit two home runs on Sunday, stepped up to the plate he most definitely heard each and every fan say "Please for the love of all that is humane in this world send us to our cars!" and Chris Garia responded. Unfortunately I didn't take video of Chris Garia hitting a home run ball over the lights in left field (I was too busy rewatching Dore's error on a loop), but you don't get a celebration like this at home plate unless you put a ball into the Fairgrounds parking lot:
Looks like it's going to be a rain out tonight (the storm has hit Spokane while I'm writing this at noon) and Chi-Chi "The 2.1 million dollar man" Gonzalez will have to wait until tomorrow to get his second start in Spokane. Until then I'd suggest Chris Garia work on a bat flip for him homers. He doesn't have one yet and apparently he's going to need one.
PS. I forgot to mention I had a Bruchi Steak Cheesesteak last night at the game. In my attempt to eat one of everything I'm currently at:
- Said Cheesesteak
- Normal Hotdog
- Slice of Pepperoni Pizza
PPS. The cheesesteak was delicious.
Top 10 Things Necessary to Enjoy An Indians Game
We have now successfully attended 5 home games and so far we are 3-2 with 3 great wins this weekend. I figured that as the season is still young I'd come up with some of my personal guidelines, or maybe more of tips to fully enjoying/respecting a Spokane Indians game.
Pick Your Players
Now this is important. While knowing all the players and giving each on a little love is a vital part of Indian fandom, having your guy is what puts YOU in the game. During those pivotal moments of the game you need to have your player that can get you out of a jam.
Bottom of the 8th, 2 outs, down by 2, Runners on 2nd and 3rd, and your boy Roberto Duran steps up to plate and belts one to deep right. Bask in the glory of YOUR player. Remember though…You got to ride the wave and go with the ups and the downs of YOUR player.
Have Your Favorite Seat
So far through 5 games we have probably sat in about 25 different seats at Avista (We tend to wander like lost dogs [Bark in the Park Tonight! More on that Tomorrow]). While I am not condoning sitting in other peoples seats, having that place to sit that helps your enjoy game is essential. Everyone is a little different, so pick wisely. If you like sitting in the sun and baking like a potato for the whole game then the left field bleachers are your spot. You might like to be up close and personal with a chance of catching whiff of Kevin Torres' cologne, hit up the lower box seats. (Torres played Catcher and 1B this weekend so your you have a few options.) You want a HR Ball? Hit up the Pepsi Porch (Garia blasted two there yesterday.) Even The General has his favorite spot to watch his beloved Indians. Point is there are no bad seats at Avista, so have your place that you can get comfortable and get into the game!
Wear Some Gear
This one is easy. We got brand new team store with some sweet stuff. T-Shirts, hats, foam fingers, key chains and even game wore jerseys, so there are no excuses. Wearing team colors instills a sense of pride, and camaraderie with fellow Indians. Plus where else can you get a brand new New Era Hat for $24! Make sure not to go overboard with it though….
Learn Section Leaders and Concessionists Names
If you're like me, I love learning peoples names, because once you learn a couple names and they learn yours, things start to feel like home. There is nothing like the walking around talking to people and feeling like you belong there. Avista has some of the of the best staff. They are friendly, funny and energetic. So make sure as you walk in to get your FREE program from Jared, go see Courtney's Red White and Blue shoes over in Section L, and get your Ice Cold Budweiser from Jacob. If you're looking to get your cheer game on, go see Tommy the Tank over in the Left Field Bleachers, he'll be the one getting the crowd chants rolling. Go…INDIANS!
Rituals & Superstitions
Baseball is built on superstitions and rituals. Most players have very specific routines they perform in belief it will maintain their success on the mound, in the field or at bat. Tap tap the cleats, adjust the cup, spit, three slow swings…Ok now I'm ready. You know the drill. We as fans we need to buy in too…If we score three runs while you were holding a beer in your left hand then you better keep that hand stocked for the rest of the game. The last thing we need is some idiot changing things up and costing us the W. For reference and personal knowledge here is list of some of Baseball's Most Famous Ritual and Superstitions .
Heckle
Now I'm not saying shout out obscenities at the other team, but you got to mess with them a little. Baseball is a thinking mans game, and we as fans we have duty to help our team by distracting the others. Get your program or bust out the iPhone and look up visiting teams roster. Find out where they are from, look up there stats, critique their unis, whatever you got to do. If they drop a Can o'Corn fly ball out in right field let them know it (Hi Alfredo). Make sure you keep it clean and subtle or you'll be asked to leave by our wonderful Indians Staff.
Know Your Baseball Terms
There is nothing worse than sitting at a game and the dufus behind you keeps yelling "Here we go Indians, 2 out Rally!!!" while we hold a 3 run lead. Or the people that come to a game and ask "What's the K stand for? Do you win something for holding those up?" while you try celebrate Yohander retiring the side. If you don't know many terms and baseballs not your thing, watch and observe there is a lot to learn without asking questions. 2 out rally?!?! Idiot.
Participate In What's Happening at Avista
Being at a baseball game is as much about the atmosphere as the game itself. So when you enter the stadium and reach the end of the tunnel and feast your eyes on the fresh painted lines and perfectly manicured grass, make sure you take in all the other things happening. Make sure you get your recycle on with RecycleMan, give Otto a high five, and straighten Nate's bow tie. Your experience is what you make of it so when that 7th inning stretch comes…Stand up…sing.
Keep The Books
Once in every fans life he/she must at least attempt to "Keep the Books". It is a great way to get to know players names, numbers, and positions and keep you focused on the game. I'll be honest its hard to watch every moment every game, but when you're keeping the books you won't want to take your eyes off the game. The great thing is there is a score card on the back of every SpokesMan Review K Card that gives the directions and symbols to keep things official. This does come with a little responsibility though…Once the people around find out your writing this stuff down you become the game recap every time someone steps to the plate, "What'd this guy do the last time he was up?" If you want to get real fancy like the life long season ticket holders over on the first base side, you can get some really cool apps for the iPad or kindle.
Control Yourself
Have fun, follow all the above, and drink a few brewskis. Just don't go overboard and ruin the game for those around you. Last thing you want is to be the drunk idiot that won't shut up, sit down and enjoy the game.
Pick Your Players
Now this is important. While knowing all the players and giving each on a little love is a vital part of Indian fandom, having your guy is what puts YOU in the game. During those pivotal moments of the game you need to have your player that can get you out of a jam.
Bottom of the 8th, 2 outs, down by 2, Runners on 2nd and 3rd, and your boy Roberto Duran steps up to plate and belts one to deep right. Bask in the glory of YOUR player. Remember though…You got to ride the wave and go with the ups and the downs of YOUR player.
Have Your Favorite Seat
So far through 5 games we have probably sat in about 25 different seats at Avista (We tend to wander like lost dogs [Bark in the Park Tonight! More on that Tomorrow]). While I am not condoning sitting in other peoples seats, having that place to sit that helps your enjoy game is essential. Everyone is a little different, so pick wisely. If you like sitting in the sun and baking like a potato for the whole game then the left field bleachers are your spot. You might like to be up close and personal with a chance of catching whiff of Kevin Torres' cologne, hit up the lower box seats. (Torres played Catcher and 1B this weekend so your you have a few options.) You want a HR Ball? Hit up the Pepsi Porch (Garia blasted two there yesterday.) Even The General has his favorite spot to watch his beloved Indians. Point is there are no bad seats at Avista, so have your place that you can get comfortable and get into the game!
Wear Some Gear
This one is easy. We got brand new team store with some sweet stuff. T-Shirts, hats, foam fingers, key chains and even game wore jerseys, so there are no excuses. Wearing team colors instills a sense of pride, and camaraderie with fellow Indians. Plus where else can you get a brand new New Era Hat for $24! Make sure not to go overboard with it though….
Learn Section Leaders and Concessionists Names
If you're like me, I love learning peoples names, because once you learn a couple names and they learn yours, things start to feel like home. There is nothing like the walking around talking to people and feeling like you belong there. Avista has some of the of the best staff. They are friendly, funny and energetic. So make sure as you walk in to get your FREE program from Jared, go see Courtney's Red White and Blue shoes over in Section L, and get your Ice Cold Budweiser from Jacob. If you're looking to get your cheer game on, go see Tommy the Tank over in the Left Field Bleachers, he'll be the one getting the crowd chants rolling. Go…INDIANS!
Rituals & Superstitions
Baseball is built on superstitions and rituals. Most players have very specific routines they perform in belief it will maintain their success on the mound, in the field or at bat. Tap tap the cleats, adjust the cup, spit, three slow swings…Ok now I'm ready. You know the drill. We as fans we need to buy in too…If we score three runs while you were holding a beer in your left hand then you better keep that hand stocked for the rest of the game. The last thing we need is some idiot changing things up and costing us the W. For reference and personal knowledge here is list of some of Baseball's Most Famous Ritual and Superstitions .
Now I'm not saying shout out obscenities at the other team, but you got to mess with them a little. Baseball is a thinking mans game, and we as fans we have duty to help our team by distracting the others. Get your program or bust out the iPhone and look up visiting teams roster. Find out where they are from, look up there stats, critique their unis, whatever you got to do. If they drop a Can o'Corn fly ball out in right field let them know it (Hi Alfredo). Make sure you keep it clean and subtle or you'll be asked to leave by our wonderful Indians Staff.
Know Your Baseball Terms
There is nothing worse than sitting at a game and the dufus behind you keeps yelling "Here we go Indians, 2 out Rally!!!" while we hold a 3 run lead. Or the people that come to a game and ask "What's the K stand for? Do you win something for holding those up?" while you try celebrate Yohander retiring the side. If you don't know many terms and baseballs not your thing, watch and observe there is a lot to learn without asking questions. 2 out rally?!?! Idiot.
Participate In What's Happening at Avista
Being at a baseball game is as much about the atmosphere as the game itself. So when you enter the stadium and reach the end of the tunnel and feast your eyes on the fresh painted lines and perfectly manicured grass, make sure you take in all the other things happening. Make sure you get your recycle on with RecycleMan, give Otto a high five, and straighten Nate's bow tie. Your experience is what you make of it so when that 7th inning stretch comes…Stand up…sing.
Keep The Books
Once in every fans life he/she must at least attempt to "Keep the Books". It is a great way to get to know players names, numbers, and positions and keep you focused on the game. I'll be honest its hard to watch every moment every game, but when you're keeping the books you won't want to take your eyes off the game. The great thing is there is a score card on the back of every SpokesMan Review K Card that gives the directions and symbols to keep things official. This does come with a little responsibility though…Once the people around find out your writing this stuff down you become the game recap every time someone steps to the plate, "What'd this guy do the last time he was up?" If you want to get real fancy like the life long season ticket holders over on the first base side, you can get some really cool apps for the iPad or kindle.
Control Yourself
Have fun, follow all the above, and drink a few brewskis. Just don't go overboard and ruin the game for those around you. Last thing you want is to be the drunk idiot that won't shut up, sit down and enjoy the game.
Monday, June 24, 2013
The Ole Weekend Switcharoo
Two wins Saturday. One win Sunday. Yep, just like that the Spokane Indians are on a winning streak. After a Friday night loss the Indians were 1-6 and I was getting these kind of tweets sent to me:
To be fair I was starting to wonder if my thrilling Fathers Day First Pitch had cursed the team. Thank goodness that all that the Indians needed was a couple of 7 inning games (a Thursday night rain out forced a Saturday double header, two games, seven innings each), some sunshine, the prospect of Fireworks Night on Saturday, oh, and WAYNE GRETZKY.
That's right, the Great One graced Avista Stadium with his presence on Saturday night. Why? THIS IS WHY. Trevor Gretzky is a Boise Hawk. He's not a great Boise Hawk considering he's only appeared in 3 games so far and has struck out in 5 of his 12 at bats this season, but he's a Boise Hawk none-the-less. Quick Sidenote: Shawon Dunston Jr is also on the Boise Hawks and in his 8 appearances is hitting .400. One kid has a baseball dad, one's dad is THE GREAT ONE. In classic "proud father" fashion (Come on, your son is playing baseball and not hockey. That earned the quotes.) old Wayne wants to see his sonstrikeout play.
Now before I get into our run in with the greatest hockey player the LA Kings have ever seen, I need to clarify something. Wayne Gretzky is an unbelievable "get" for Avista Stadium. Once again, he is the best player that the sport of hockey has ever seen. (Stats back this up. No seriously, look at these.) BUT this doesn't mean that he is the most amazing person that could grace Avista Stadium with his aura. In fact he might not even be in the top 50. Just for kicks and giggles I'll name the first five that come to my head:
PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE COOLER TO SEE AT AVISTA STADIUM THAN WAYNE GRETZKY:
At what point will @SeanTWidmer accept responsibility for the Spokane Indians slow start? #FirstPitchInTheDirt
— Carey Williams (@AtCareyWilliams) June 22, 2013
To be fair I was starting to wonder if my thrilling Fathers Day First Pitch had cursed the team. Thank goodness that all that the Indians needed was a couple of 7 inning games (a Thursday night rain out forced a Saturday double header, two games, seven innings each), some sunshine, the prospect of Fireworks Night on Saturday, oh, and WAYNE GRETZKY.
That's right, the Great One graced Avista Stadium with his presence on Saturday night. Why? THIS IS WHY. Trevor Gretzky is a Boise Hawk. He's not a great Boise Hawk considering he's only appeared in 3 games so far and has struck out in 5 of his 12 at bats this season, but he's a Boise Hawk none-the-less. Quick Sidenote: Shawon Dunston Jr is also on the Boise Hawks and in his 8 appearances is hitting .400. One kid has a baseball dad, one's dad is THE GREAT ONE. In classic "proud father" fashion (Come on, your son is playing baseball and not hockey. That earned the quotes.) old Wayne wants to see his son
Now before I get into our run in with the greatest hockey player the LA Kings have ever seen, I need to clarify something. Wayne Gretzky is an unbelievable "get" for Avista Stadium. Once again, he is the best player that the sport of hockey has ever seen. (Stats back this up. No seriously, look at these.) BUT this doesn't mean that he is the most amazing person that could grace Avista Stadium with his aura. In fact he might not even be in the top 50. Just for kicks and giggles I'll name the first five that come to my head:
PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE COOLER TO SEE AT AVISTA STADIUM THAN WAYNE GRETZKY:
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Player Profile: Cam Schiller
We start off our series of player profiles with first baseman Cam Schiller. Wenatchee born, Cam moved to Arizona, finished high school there and went on to play his college baseball at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. Cam was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 7th round of the 2012 draft and played his first year of pro baseball here in Spokane last summer.
The stats for this season are accurate up to Saturday night June 22, 2013 and do not include Cam's 2-4 1RBI game Sunday
Cam became an early contender for our favorite player this summer because he let us use his player tickets to Opening Night. We're easy, and proud of it. After Sunday's game we had a chance to get a 5 minute chat with Cam about the start of the season and a few questions about life on the Indians. Here's our interview with Indians first baseman Cam Schiller:
Download or stream the interview here (great for smartphones)
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
That Fence Is Just So Far Away.
If chicks dig the long ball then chicks aren't flocking to the Spokane Indians so far this season. The Indians dropped to 1-5 on the season with an 8-3 loss on the road today to Vancouver. Obviously this is not the start of the season that Andy and I had hoped for. We figured it would be like a fairy tale and the Indians wouldn't lose a game all summer, win the Championship, we'd write a book on the season, and Disney would come find us to make a movie about the greatest book they'd ever read. That's not really happening (now I'm cheering for an unreal end of the season streak to the Championship because that book is always better anyways and probably includes a game or two where all the pitchers are used and Cam Schiller is called to close the game out recording 3 strikeouts).
In a losing season where do I turn??? Stats of course. What stat do I turn to??? HOME RUNS you dimwhit! There is a reason why they hold Home Run Derbies and not "Triple Tourney's" or "Ground Rule Double Duel". Home runs look awesome like this:
Meanwhile this is how thrilling a non-home run is (they don't even have real videos of them, just stuff from camera phones):
On top of losing games the Indians have been losing in the home run battle as well. Now before you go bananas, I get it, short season A clubs aren't known for long bombs away. So far in the Northwest League the team with the most HR's is Salem-Kaiser and they only have 4 in their first 6 games, but 4 is more than 0. Last year the Indians finished with 31 home runs on the season which was good for 2nd worst in the league, I blame the 30 foot high walls at Avista Stadium (shave those suckers down for Pete's sake...). Home runs make you forget about bad losses. Home runs are what you talk about to your buddies while you are walking out of the park after an 8-2 loss. Home runs make you want to buy a jersey. Home runs get Cafe's named for them. Again, chicks dig the long ball and chicks need to start digging the Indians.
Someone is going to uncork one at home during the upcoming 8 game home streak that starts tomorrow night at 6:30 against Boise. That player (my guess used to be Jamie Jarmon but I don't know how many homers he will hit from the bench, even though he's still my boy) will be Ryan Cordell. Ryan Cordell will immediately become my favorite non-pitcher and I will consider buying one of last years game worn #16 jerseys.
Here's the deal, I need something fun right now. I need a winner. So let me know in the comments, or on twitter, or somehow who you've got for the Indians first home run of the season (HERE'S THE ROSTER SO YOU CAN JUST PICK A NAME) and I'll try to get you some Indians tickets or something else that is awesome. Why? Because I need a win.
The following video has no real purpose other than the fact it is still the best baseball related video on the internet and if you haven't seen it you need to. I'm using it right now as a slumpbuster:
Post post addendum:
Who is leading the MLB in HR's???
Former Spokane Indian CHRIS DAVIS with 26. You see, Indians have it in them.
In a losing season where do I turn??? Stats of course. What stat do I turn to??? HOME RUNS you dimwhit! There is a reason why they hold Home Run Derbies and not "Triple Tourney's" or "Ground Rule Double Duel". Home runs look awesome like this:
Meanwhile this is how thrilling a non-home run is (they don't even have real videos of them, just stuff from camera phones):
On top of losing games the Indians have been losing in the home run battle as well. Now before you go bananas, I get it, short season A clubs aren't known for long bombs away. So far in the Northwest League the team with the most HR's is Salem-Kaiser and they only have 4 in their first 6 games, but 4 is more than 0. Last year the Indians finished with 31 home runs on the season which was good for 2nd worst in the league, I blame the 30 foot high walls at Avista Stadium (shave those suckers down for Pete's sake...). Home runs make you forget about bad losses. Home runs are what you talk about to your buddies while you are walking out of the park after an 8-2 loss. Home runs make you want to buy a jersey. Home runs get Cafe's named for them. Again, chicks dig the long ball and chicks need to start digging the Indians.
Someone is going to uncork one at home during the upcoming 8 game home streak that starts tomorrow night at 6:30 against Boise. That player (my guess used to be Jamie Jarmon but I don't know how many homers he will hit from the bench, even though he's still my boy) will be Ryan Cordell. Ryan Cordell will immediately become my favorite non-pitcher and I will consider buying one of last years game worn #16 jerseys.
Here's the deal, I need something fun right now. I need a winner. So let me know in the comments, or on twitter, or somehow who you've got for the Indians first home run of the season (HERE'S THE ROSTER SO YOU CAN JUST PICK A NAME) and I'll try to get you some Indians tickets or something else that is awesome. Why? Because I need a win.
The following video has no real purpose other than the fact it is still the best baseball related video on the internet and if you haven't seen it you need to. I'm using it right now as a slumpbuster:
Post post addendum:
Who is leading the MLB in HR's???
Former Spokane Indian CHRIS DAVIS with 26. You see, Indians have it in them.
Monday, June 17, 2013
I One Hopped It
All the excitement to throw out the first pitch and I one hopped it. Didn't concentrate on the windup or the throw. Total collapse. Thanks to @brandonarose for the video (and for being a great Indians employee).
Still nursing my emotional wounds this morning.
Also the Indians are now 0-3 to start the season and head on the road for three days before coming home on Thursday.
Quick look at Andy and my "Drafted Teams" after the first series of the season:
TEAM ANDY:
-Alex Gonzalez (SP)-
ROUGH first night out. He lasted an inning and a third...
-Joe Jackson (C)-
Still has a broken hand but did talk to Andy about it before Friday nights game.
-Cam Shiller (1B)-
He gave us his tickets to opening night which earned him major brownie points. Then he proceeded to go 0-9 with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts yet I feel like we are cheering for him to succeed more than any other Indian.
-Alex De La Cruz (RP)-
Pitched the last two innings on Saturday night and swagged it up. Allowed only 1 hit, no runs, and struckout 1. Mans Game.
-Brandon Garcia (C)-
0-3 on opening night with 2 K's.
TEAM SEAN:
-Yohander Mendez (SP)-
3 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, and 5 strikeouts. He's tied with reliever Kyle Castro for the lead in strikeouts plus I got to talk about Venezuela with him prior to losing all credibility while skipping a pitch to the catcher...
-Gabriel Roa (SS)-
He's 0-4 but has scored twice because he's lightning fast! Plus he totally picked my bad ceremonial first pitch and saved me from the embarrassment of watching my ball roll towards the backstop. I am forever in his debt.
-Jamie Jarmon (RF)-
EVERY time he stepped to the plate I guaranteed a HR. Every time I lied. (Not a single Indian has hit a HR yet this season. JJ will be the first.) 1-7 on the weekend.
-Alberto Triunfel (SS)-
2-9 with an RBI. (He also has a couple errors...)
-Richard Alvarez (RP)-
He did not have a great outing in relief on Saturday night BUT he is currently my favorite bullpen guy because he'll talk to you in the crowd during the game. He's a truly awesome Venezuelan.
Pictures from Sunday:
Still nursing my emotional wounds this morning.
Also the Indians are now 0-3 to start the season and head on the road for three days before coming home on Thursday.
Quick look at Andy and my "Drafted Teams" after the first series of the season:
TEAM ANDY:
-Alex Gonzalez (SP)-
ROUGH first night out. He lasted an inning and a third...
-Joe Jackson (C)-
Still has a broken hand but did talk to Andy about it before Friday nights game.
-Cam Shiller (1B)-
He gave us his tickets to opening night which earned him major brownie points. Then he proceeded to go 0-9 with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts yet I feel like we are cheering for him to succeed more than any other Indian.
-Alex De La Cruz (RP)-
Pitched the last two innings on Saturday night and swagged it up. Allowed only 1 hit, no runs, and struckout 1. Mans Game.
-Brandon Garcia (C)-
0-3 on opening night with 2 K's.
TEAM SEAN:
-Yohander Mendez (SP)-
3 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, and 5 strikeouts. He's tied with reliever Kyle Castro for the lead in strikeouts plus I got to talk about Venezuela with him prior to losing all credibility while skipping a pitch to the catcher...
-Gabriel Roa (SS)-
He's 0-4 but has scored twice because he's lightning fast! Plus he totally picked my bad ceremonial first pitch and saved me from the embarrassment of watching my ball roll towards the backstop. I am forever in his debt.
-Jamie Jarmon (RF)-
EVERY time he stepped to the plate I guaranteed a HR. Every time I lied. (Not a single Indian has hit a HR yet this season. JJ will be the first.) 1-7 on the weekend.
-Alberto Triunfel (SS)-
2-9 with an RBI. (He also has a couple errors...)
-Richard Alvarez (RP)-
He did not have a great outing in relief on Saturday night BUT he is currently my favorite bullpen guy because he'll talk to you in the crowd during the game. He's a truly awesome Venezuelan.
Pictures from Sunday:
Sunday, June 16, 2013
The Ceremonial First Pitch
The 2013 season is underway. The Indians are 0-2 and my streak of home games attended ended after opening night. (A graduation party last night cut the streak short...) A 6-4 loss to Everett on Friday was followed up by a 6-4 loss to Everett on Saturday and today the series will end with a 100-0 win by the Indians. Trust me, you are NOT going to want to miss today's historic run producing game. Since you're now planning on attending the game this afternoon at 3:30 I'd recommend showing up a few minutes early. Why??? Well we'll get to the reason I've spent all morning watching YouTube videos in just a few.
First and foremost I need to say a congrats to my blog partner Andy for showing up to the opening night game with hisgirlfriend fiance sporting a brand new ring on her ring finger. Engaged on opening day!?!? What a bold move by the Ryan Gosling look-a-like.
It was the icing on the cake to a very fun first night at the ballpark for the summer.
Yeah, the Indians lost the game but it didn't stop us from enjoying opening night. First of all we sat in the right field bleachers right next to the Indians bullpen (a bullpen I'm going to love) thanks to firstbaseman Cam Schiller. Besides being a super cool guy for giving us his tickets, and besides the fact that he is 0-6 on the season but will break out of that today during the Indians 100-0 record setting win, Cam has one of the coolest looks on the field. (3 quarter length sleeves, long pants that perfectly hit the back heel of his cleats, and a sweet head of hair that almost looks like a mullet when his hat is on) Cam's seats were perfect for an opening night. I feel like starting the season out on the metal bleachers is the perfect way to start a summer as an Indians fan. The bleachers scream "We're here to cheer on the Indians!!!" and not "We're here to be comfortable and take in the atmosphere of opening night with a baseball game going on in the background" that the seats behind the dugouts and home plate say. (The previous sentence was simply typed in jealousy)
We had the privilege of sitting next to a P.O.W. that liked three things:
1) America! I've never seen someone love the National Anthem more than this man and for great reasons.
2) Stats. He was keeping score on the back of his "K Card" and would lean over to me and tell me what each batter had done in his previous at bat just in case I couldn't read the scoreboard.
3) Talking whether you wanted to listen or not. It didn't matter if I was in deep discussion, on my phone, or staring off in the distance or heckling right fielder Alfredo Morales. (Morales had a pop fly hit off his glove for a terribly embarrassing error that I took upon myself to remind him of for a couple innings before he hit one of the longest home runs I've ever seen at Avista over "The Depot". Sweet sweet revenge. I even think I saw him tip his hat towards me as he hit first base during his home run trot) My new old friend had a story about everything that happened in the game and he wasn't going to wait to tell it.
The other great takeaway from opening night was the fact that the concessions stands now ACCEPT DEBIT/CREDIT CARDS!!!!!
Ok, on to the reason I woke up in a sweat at 5am this morning. Today the Indians play a 3:30 game and right around 3:15 I'll be trotting on the field in my Navegantes de Magallenes jersey (I have two Venezuelan baseball jerseys and this is the one that the Indians bullpen told me I should wear today) to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Now I've thrown a baseball plenty in my life and know in my heart of hearts that I can get the ball from the front of the mound to home plate. In fact I know that I can throw a strike with ease. But for some reason when all you get is one throw and everyone is watching, your nerves can get the best of you. Don't believe me??? Well then here is exhibit A:
I have no interest in showing up on one of these YouTube clips.
In fact I want the opposite. I want to be in one that is titled "Top 10 most impressive ceremonial first pitches in which the person throwing the ball impersonated a MLB pitcher perfectly". Long title I know, but I'd still watch that video.
The smart thing to do today is to walk onto the field, take the ball, throw it, smile, shake the catchers hand, walk off the field without tripping, and then give the ball to a kid in the crowd because it will make his day. But I'm currently being tempted. I love pitchers and I love pitching deliveries. So all morning I've been watching YouTube videos of my favorite pitchers in hopes to find a pitch I'd like to impersonate. Here are my top 3 that I'm working on in my living room right now:
FELIX HERNANDEZ:
The key to Felix's delivery is the follow through. It's all about the cool leg sweep. The good part about this is that I don't have to get lost in the pre-pitch mechanics. It's a simple throw and then sweep the leg with a really cool long stride.
BARRY ZITO:
Zito has one of the highest leg kicks going on and it looks amazing. The problem is that while simply practicing in my living room I'm having a hard time with balancing... I'm focusing a lot more on lifting my leg and a lot less on thinking about the pitch. This could lead to me being #11 on that previously posted "Top 10 terrible..." video.
DENNIS ECKERSLEY:
Eckersley's windup is decent. It's really really fluid and incorporates a nice leg kick and semi-unique release angle but the reason I'm considering Eckersley is because I currently have a matching mustache...
It's going to be a game time decision. I'd recommend a quick lunch with the family and then dad's, pack up the gang and get to Avista for an afternoon baseball game (that will hopefully be done before the NBA Finals game 5) and you just might witness the greatest or worst ceremonial first pitch ever. My guess is that I'll chicken out, throw a looping ball that the catcher has to reach for and then I'll trot off the field as quickly as possible. See you this afternoon.
Quick look at Andy and my "Drafted Teams"
- The only one of our players with a hit is my SS Alberto Triunfel who is 1-6 in the first two games with an RBI.
- Andy's first overall pick, Chi-Chi Gonzalez, lasted an inning and two thirds, gave up 5 hits and 3 earned runs leading to a loss and a 16.20 ERA. He'll rally. I promise.
- My main man Yohander Mendez started last night and went 3 innings, let up only 3 hits and had 5 strikeouts but unfortunately let up 1 earned run and because of that got the loss... He's the man though, suck it Andy.
First and foremost I need to say a congrats to my blog partner Andy for showing up to the opening night game with his
Yeah, the Indians lost the game but it didn't stop us from enjoying opening night. First of all we sat in the right field bleachers right next to the Indians bullpen (a bullpen I'm going to love) thanks to firstbaseman Cam Schiller. Besides being a super cool guy for giving us his tickets, and besides the fact that he is 0-6 on the season but will break out of that today during the Indians 100-0 record setting win, Cam has one of the coolest looks on the field. (3 quarter length sleeves, long pants that perfectly hit the back heel of his cleats, and a sweet head of hair that almost looks like a mullet when his hat is on) Cam's seats were perfect for an opening night. I feel like starting the season out on the metal bleachers is the perfect way to start a summer as an Indians fan. The bleachers scream "We're here to cheer on the Indians!!!" and not "We're here to be comfortable and take in the atmosphere of opening night with a baseball game going on in the background" that the seats behind the dugouts and home plate say. (The previous sentence was simply typed in jealousy)
We had the privilege of sitting next to a P.O.W. that liked three things:
1) America! I've never seen someone love the National Anthem more than this man and for great reasons.
2) Stats. He was keeping score on the back of his "K Card" and would lean over to me and tell me what each batter had done in his previous at bat just in case I couldn't read the scoreboard.
3) Talking whether you wanted to listen or not. It didn't matter if I was in deep discussion, on my phone, or staring off in the distance or heckling right fielder Alfredo Morales. (Morales had a pop fly hit off his glove for a terribly embarrassing error that I took upon myself to remind him of for a couple innings before he hit one of the longest home runs I've ever seen at Avista over "The Depot". Sweet sweet revenge. I even think I saw him tip his hat towards me as he hit first base during his home run trot) My new old friend had a story about everything that happened in the game and he wasn't going to wait to tell it.
The other great takeaway from opening night was the fact that the concessions stands now ACCEPT DEBIT/CREDIT CARDS!!!!!
I have no interest in showing up on one of these YouTube clips.
In fact I want the opposite. I want to be in one that is titled "Top 10 most impressive ceremonial first pitches in which the person throwing the ball impersonated a MLB pitcher perfectly". Long title I know, but I'd still watch that video.
The smart thing to do today is to walk onto the field, take the ball, throw it, smile, shake the catchers hand, walk off the field without tripping, and then give the ball to a kid in the crowd because it will make his day. But I'm currently being tempted. I love pitchers and I love pitching deliveries. So all morning I've been watching YouTube videos of my favorite pitchers in hopes to find a pitch I'd like to impersonate. Here are my top 3 that I'm working on in my living room right now:
FELIX HERNANDEZ:
The key to Felix's delivery is the follow through. It's all about the cool leg sweep. The good part about this is that I don't have to get lost in the pre-pitch mechanics. It's a simple throw and then sweep the leg with a really cool long stride.
BARRY ZITO:
Zito has one of the highest leg kicks going on and it looks amazing. The problem is that while simply practicing in my living room I'm having a hard time with balancing... I'm focusing a lot more on lifting my leg and a lot less on thinking about the pitch. This could lead to me being #11 on that previously posted "Top 10 terrible..." video.
DENNIS ECKERSLEY:
Eckersley's windup is decent. It's really really fluid and incorporates a nice leg kick and semi-unique release angle but the reason I'm considering Eckersley is because I currently have a matching mustache...
It's going to be a game time decision. I'd recommend a quick lunch with the family and then dad's, pack up the gang and get to Avista for an afternoon baseball game (that will hopefully be done before the NBA Finals game 5) and you just might witness the greatest or worst ceremonial first pitch ever. My guess is that I'll chicken out, throw a looping ball that the catcher has to reach for and then I'll trot off the field as quickly as possible. See you this afternoon.
Quick look at Andy and my "Drafted Teams"
- The only one of our players with a hit is my SS Alberto Triunfel who is 1-6 in the first two games with an RBI.
- Andy's first overall pick, Chi-Chi Gonzalez, lasted an inning and two thirds, gave up 5 hits and 3 earned runs leading to a loss and a 16.20 ERA. He'll rally. I promise.
- My main man Yohander Mendez started last night and went 3 innings, let up only 3 hits and had 5 strikeouts but unfortunately let up 1 earned run and because of that got the loss... He's the man though, suck it Andy.
Friday, June 14, 2013
2013 Player Draft
Tonight is the night. The 2013 season gets underway tonight with the Everett AquaSox strolling into town for a 3 game series. Now before the season starts up Andy and I figured we are going to need to lay claim on a couple players to hail as "our guys" as the season goes on and thought, "What better way to do this than a draft???" I mean who doesn't like a draft? I for one can spend the 3 weeks leading up to the NFL season in mock draft lobbies doing countless mock drafts that will mean nothing when I step into the actual draft room filled with homers galore. This said we bring you the 2013 Spokane Indians Blind Draft!!!
Here's the way it works and the reason behind this. Andy and I will alternate picking 5 players each to represent "our team" for the summer. Now we really have absolutely no clue as to who these guys are. Our knowledge goes as far as an internet search or stats from last season go. What will this team represent?? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING besides the fact that if one of "our players" plays well we get to say, "Yeah, that's my guy". Every other Friday we will be allowed to make a drop/add (You know, in case a guy gets hurt or gets a call up or you don't like him. I will not be utilizing this feature this season. I'm riding my five guys to the bitter end) and trades are also allowed.
Andy got to draft first since he actually attended the "Meet the Players" event the Indians threw Tuesday night. Here are the draft picks and a quick synopsis on why each player was taken by the man that drafted them:
Here OS a little mood music for your reading enjoyment.
With the first pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Pitcher Alex Gonzalez:
Simple…Chi Chi is the pride and joy of the Rangers 2013 Draft. 1st Rounder righty from Oral Roberts throws in the mid 90's. Chances are we are only going to see him a couple of times before the Power That Be call him up, so I'm not gonna miss out on the chance to collect a W on opening night when he smokes the SweatSox. Oh and we have the same initials..AG (Thats the real reason I drafted him)
With the second pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Pitcher Yohander Mendez
Yohander was a no brainer for me. I grew up in Venezuela and this kid is from Valencia, Venezuela. Valencia is a place where we'd stop on our long 12 hour drives from Rubio (where I lived) to Caracas (the capitol of Venezuela where we would go for vacation). We didn't have McDonald's in Rubio or anywhere near there when I was younger but Valencia had one and it was the greatest treat in the world to stop there on the drive and taste what it felt like to be an American. Outside of my love for the country I grew up in I had no real reason behind me picking Yohander. His name is super cool and he already accepted my Facebook request so that is a plus. Go-hander!!!!
With the third pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Catcher Joe Jackson
This is a sad one for me…Joe Jackson distant Grandson of the one and only Shoeless Joe Jackson, set to have a great season here in Spokane broke his hand and is out for at least a month. Now here is the thing...in any other sport, a month is a tolerable time to be on the injured list but in "A" SS a month is an eternity. So now I am out a starter and a legacy. Not a good start…But hopefully I will be granted some sort of forgiveness and able to pick up another player…Sean does owe me one for his last pick Blunder!!! Uhhh…Serrato…No wait Alvarez…No Van Hoosier…No Alvarez. C'mon Man!
With the fourth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Shortstop Gabriel Roa SHORTSTOP!!! Period, point blank. No way I was passing on getting the shortstop for the Spokane Indians. I have always felt like shortstop and center field are the "rock star" positions on the baseball diamond. Plus at 5'9" 155lbs, Roa is the smallest player on the team! I do love cheering for an underdog story. I'm praying that Roa is just a crafty slap hitter with wheels for days. Get me a snag deep in the hole followed up by a spinning b.b. throw to first and I'm going to be weak in the knees. Now hopefully he's the starting shortstop...
With the fifth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Second Baseman Cam Schiller
Cam is my rock. Aside from being a returner to the Indians and another Oral Roberts boy, Cam is one of the older guys on the team. I needed a vet to stay controlled and Cam is that man. Switcher hitter with .281…I'll take it, not mention the fact the while Sean may think that SS is the Rock Star of the team 2nd Base is bulldog of the team. Sure shortstops got the flashy position but 2nd that where the True Grit is. Cam will provide my team with the veteran stability and consistency, which apparently we already need due to AG only being a K away from moving up and Little Joe already on his way out…Cam you are officially my Team Captain. Congrats. Oh and thanks for the tix (I'll explain later)
With the sixth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Outfielder Jamie Jarmon Pitcher: check
Shortstop: check
Outfielder with some size and potential power: Jamie Jarmon has two of the three for sure. Now get out there and prove me right with some long bombs.
I needed some size. After getting the smallest guy on the field I figured that Roa wasn't going to lead me to many HR dances in the crowd. Jamie Jarmon (I call him "JJ The Giant Slayer") is going to be my main man, I can feel it. The downside of JJ is that he's a right handed hitter which means The Grotto will not be his friend unless he was made to oppo. Regardless, I've put a lot of eggs in this mans basket, enough that I kind of want to get a #17 jersey before the season even starts.
With the seventh pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Pitcher Alex De La Cruz
Cruz provided me with two things I desperately needed on my team…
1. A freaking awesome name. C'mon Alex De La Cruz?!?! Guys got more swag in his name than the Hova in a cardigan.
and
2. A little Latin flavor. Every good ball club has a fiery Latin pitcher that comes in throwing hot salsa all over the place. The Cruz-er was 4-2 with 9 saves last season in the DSL...I can already hear the maracas as he runs in from the Bull Pen to save the day like a Puerto Rican Ricky Vaughn. Cosa Salvaje.
With the eighth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Shortstop Alberto Truinfel
Dangit. After selecting Roa with my 2nd pick I realized that another shortstop with an even better name was still left on the roster. I have no clue which one starts, thus the pickle I found myself in. Honestly at this point I feel like I missed with Roa. If I'm a manager and I'm looking at a guy named Gabriel Roa or a cool cat named ALBERTO TRUINFEL I'm going with Truinfel all day everyday. Two shortstops on my "team" means a lot more swag potential too. PS. I'm choosing Truinfel as having the coolest walk up music this season. It will be a sweet old school hip hop song or Macklemore "Can't Hold Us"
With the ninth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Catcher Brandon Garcia
Here's the deal with Brandon Garcia…He won the HomeRun Derby at Avista the other night. That easy. I knew the thing my team lacked was the long ball (Chicks Dig It) and Brandon give me every reason with HR win to earn that spot. There is nothing like the feeling of every time one of your hitters gets to the plate, there is a possibility he is going Yard. Now with JoeJack out that possibility might have gotten even greater.
With the tenth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Pitcher Richard Alvarez Richard Alvarez is the tainted portion of the 2013 draft. I hit total panic mode here! 3 guys were staring me in the face.
1) Richard Alvarez, or as I call him "The OTHER Venezuelan" on the team. Only 2 guys from my old homeland on this years squad. It would be a sin if I didn't draft them both.
2) Evan Van Hoosier. A 6 foot tall second baseman with a silky smooth name and this picture on his Facebook Page (yeah, he's listed as working for Hollister so he probably smells good).
3) Barret Serrato. Listed as simply and infielder on the pre-season roster, I took this to mean "Utility Man" and to me that sounds awesome. Who doesn't want someone who can do it all. He also has back to back r's in his first and last name which I feel could lead to some sort of cheer down the road...
This is when a draft faux pas occurred. In a moment of panic I drafted Barret... Andy even marked it down on the official draft sheet. Then I felt like I had just betrayed my entire family and existence and begged to erase my pick and go with Alvarez the other Venezuelan. Andy obliged but it will cost me a beer. Viva Venezuela!
Here are the final results and teams for the summer. Team Andy: - Alex Gonzalez - Joe Jackson - Cam Schiller - Alex De La Cruz - Brandon Garcia
Team Sean: - Yohander Mendez - Gabriel Roa - Jamie Jarmon - Alberto Truinfel - Richard Alvarez
Here's the way it works and the reason behind this. Andy and I will alternate picking 5 players each to represent "our team" for the summer. Now we really have absolutely no clue as to who these guys are. Our knowledge goes as far as an internet search or stats from last season go. What will this team represent?? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING besides the fact that if one of "our players" plays well we get to say, "Yeah, that's my guy". Every other Friday we will be allowed to make a drop/add (You know, in case a guy gets hurt or gets a call up or you don't like him. I will not be utilizing this feature this season. I'm riding my five guys to the bitter end) and trades are also allowed.
Andy got to draft first since he actually attended the "Meet the Players" event the Indians threw Tuesday night. Here are the draft picks and a quick synopsis on why each player was taken by the man that drafted them:
Pitcher Alex Gonzalez:
Simple…Chi Chi is the pride and joy of the Rangers 2013 Draft. 1st Rounder righty from Oral Roberts throws in the mid 90's. Chances are we are only going to see him a couple of times before the Power That Be call him up, so I'm not gonna miss out on the chance to collect a W on opening night when he smokes the SweatSox. Oh and we have the same initials..AG (Thats the real reason I drafted him)
With the second pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Pitcher Yohander Mendez
Yohander was a no brainer for me. I grew up in Venezuela and this kid is from Valencia, Venezuela. Valencia is a place where we'd stop on our long 12 hour drives from Rubio (where I lived) to Caracas (the capitol of Venezuela where we would go for vacation). We didn't have McDonald's in Rubio or anywhere near there when I was younger but Valencia had one and it was the greatest treat in the world to stop there on the drive and taste what it felt like to be an American. Outside of my love for the country I grew up in I had no real reason behind me picking Yohander. His name is super cool and he already accepted my Facebook request so that is a plus. Go-hander!!!!
With the third pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Catcher Joe Jackson
This is a sad one for me…Joe Jackson distant Grandson of the one and only Shoeless Joe Jackson, set to have a great season here in Spokane broke his hand and is out for at least a month. Now here is the thing...in any other sport, a month is a tolerable time to be on the injured list but in "A" SS a month is an eternity. So now I am out a starter and a legacy. Not a good start…But hopefully I will be granted some sort of forgiveness and able to pick up another player…Sean does owe me one for his last pick Blunder!!! Uhhh…Serrato…No wait Alvarez…No Van Hoosier…No Alvarez. C'mon Man!
With the fourth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Shortstop Gabriel Roa SHORTSTOP!!! Period, point blank. No way I was passing on getting the shortstop for the Spokane Indians. I have always felt like shortstop and center field are the "rock star" positions on the baseball diamond. Plus at 5'9" 155lbs, Roa is the smallest player on the team! I do love cheering for an underdog story. I'm praying that Roa is just a crafty slap hitter with wheels for days. Get me a snag deep in the hole followed up by a spinning b.b. throw to first and I'm going to be weak in the knees. Now hopefully he's the starting shortstop...
With the fifth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Second Baseman Cam Schiller
Cam is my rock. Aside from being a returner to the Indians and another Oral Roberts boy, Cam is one of the older guys on the team. I needed a vet to stay controlled and Cam is that man. Switcher hitter with .281…I'll take it, not mention the fact the while Sean may think that SS is the Rock Star of the team 2nd Base is bulldog of the team. Sure shortstops got the flashy position but 2nd that where the True Grit is. Cam will provide my team with the veteran stability and consistency, which apparently we already need due to AG only being a K away from moving up and Little Joe already on his way out…Cam you are officially my Team Captain. Congrats. Oh and thanks for the tix (I'll explain later)
With the sixth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Outfielder Jamie Jarmon Pitcher: check
Shortstop: check
Outfielder with some size and potential power: Jamie Jarmon has two of the three for sure. Now get out there and prove me right with some long bombs.
I needed some size. After getting the smallest guy on the field I figured that Roa wasn't going to lead me to many HR dances in the crowd. Jamie Jarmon (I call him "JJ The Giant Slayer") is going to be my main man, I can feel it. The downside of JJ is that he's a right handed hitter which means The Grotto will not be his friend unless he was made to oppo. Regardless, I've put a lot of eggs in this mans basket, enough that I kind of want to get a #17 jersey before the season even starts.
With the seventh pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Pitcher Alex De La Cruz
Cruz provided me with two things I desperately needed on my team…
1. A freaking awesome name. C'mon Alex De La Cruz?!?! Guys got more swag in his name than the Hova in a cardigan.
and
2. A little Latin flavor. Every good ball club has a fiery Latin pitcher that comes in throwing hot salsa all over the place. The Cruz-er was 4-2 with 9 saves last season in the DSL...I can already hear the maracas as he runs in from the Bull Pen to save the day like a Puerto Rican Ricky Vaughn. Cosa Salvaje.
With the eighth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Shortstop Alberto Truinfel
Dangit. After selecting Roa with my 2nd pick I realized that another shortstop with an even better name was still left on the roster. I have no clue which one starts, thus the pickle I found myself in. Honestly at this point I feel like I missed with Roa. If I'm a manager and I'm looking at a guy named Gabriel Roa or a cool cat named ALBERTO TRUINFEL I'm going with Truinfel all day everyday. Two shortstops on my "team" means a lot more swag potential too. PS. I'm choosing Truinfel as having the coolest walk up music this season. It will be a sweet old school hip hop song or Macklemore "Can't Hold Us"
With the ninth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Andy takes...
Catcher Brandon Garcia
Here's the deal with Brandon Garcia…He won the HomeRun Derby at Avista the other night. That easy. I knew the thing my team lacked was the long ball (Chicks Dig It) and Brandon give me every reason with HR win to earn that spot. There is nothing like the feeling of every time one of your hitters gets to the plate, there is a possibility he is going Yard. Now with JoeJack out that possibility might have gotten even greater.
With the tenth pick in the 2013 Spokane Indians Why I Otto Player Draft coach Sean takes...
Pitcher Richard Alvarez Richard Alvarez is the tainted portion of the 2013 draft. I hit total panic mode here! 3 guys were staring me in the face.
1) Richard Alvarez, or as I call him "The OTHER Venezuelan" on the team. Only 2 guys from my old homeland on this years squad. It would be a sin if I didn't draft them both.
2) Evan Van Hoosier. A 6 foot tall second baseman with a silky smooth name and this picture on his Facebook Page (yeah, he's listed as working for Hollister so he probably smells good).
3) Barret Serrato. Listed as simply and infielder on the pre-season roster, I took this to mean "Utility Man" and to me that sounds awesome. Who doesn't want someone who can do it all. He also has back to back r's in his first and last name which I feel could lead to some sort of cheer down the road...
This is when a draft faux pas occurred. In a moment of panic I drafted Barret... Andy even marked it down on the official draft sheet. Then I felt like I had just betrayed my entire family and existence and begged to erase my pick and go with Alvarez the other Venezuelan. Andy obliged but it will cost me a beer. Viva Venezuela!
Here are the final results and teams for the summer. Team Andy: - Alex Gonzalez - Joe Jackson - Cam Schiller - Alex De La Cruz - Brandon Garcia
Team Sean: - Yohander Mendez - Gabriel Roa - Jamie Jarmon - Alberto Truinfel - Richard Alvarez
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Suit Up
It's happening! Friday night the 2013 Spokane Indians season will begin and as Andy and I get ready for our "2013 Spokane Indians Pre-Season Draft" post that should be up tomorrow evening we figured it was time to start loading up our dressers with some gear for the summer. You see my Spokane Indians apparel over the past 6 years has been an old fitted Indians hat with an outdated logo and a white XL tshirt with the current team logo on the front (I actually won this shirt at a game years ago and have no idea how, all I know is that it fits like one of the night gowns that Charlie Buckets grandparents wore). Needless to say, this season I'm going to need to step up my dress up game if I'm planning on immersing myself in the team, and what better year to do so than a year when the team gets a brand new Team Store.
That's right, in all the stadium re-design the Indians have added a beautiful new team store to the fresh looking front office building. If you had been to the ballpark before you'll remember the "Team Store" looking a lot more like a wall of prizes behind a carnival game and a lot less like a store to buy gear. Gone are the days of purchasing a hat by asking the vendor if you can try on ten different 7 3/8's until you find the one that fits right. Gone are the days of having to lean over the counter to try to get a better look at a tshirt hanging on the back wall to see if it's the style you like. The life of luxury when it comes to buying team gear has made it's way to Avista Stadium in the form of a pristine and air conditioned store. That's right, one you can walk through holding up each shirt to get a feel for it's overall style (Followed by the uncomfortable task you're left with of trying to fold the shirt back into it's original form which to me is a lot like making an origami crane). A store with a wall of hats and a mirror so you can make sure you can look like this guy or this guy. (Sidenote: If you've never tried to wear a hat like Fred McGriff then you may not be qualified to purchase a baseball hat) A team store that not only has a ton of tshirts for guys, gals, kids and infants, but one with all the stuff you need to jazz up your office space, car, key chain, man cave, or refrigerator. Yes, if you are looking for new team gear of any sorts the Indians have provided you with a little slice of shopping heaven.
My eyes were like a kid in a candy store walking into the place. I wanted one of everything. A jersey, a shirt, another shirt, a pen, a foam finger, another jersey. This was going to be a great trip... until shopping stage fright hit. It may have been the fact that it was hot out and my brain was fried. It may have been the fact I had just got done with a meeting filled day at work. It may have been the fact I felt like Andy was judging me. Either way the fact was fact, stage 1 shopping stage fright had set in in full force. Everything looked so good. Maybe everything looked too good. If I was going to buy one thing I was going to buy everything and that would lead to Top Ramen for the rest of the month. What if I picked out the same shirt as Andy and we showed up to the game at the same time wearing the same shirts and same Levi 505's? (Is it bad that this is actually a real concern???? The answer is yes) Trip one to the new team store ended up being the equivalent to a 0-3 outing with a walk. That walk being the one thing I purchased, a hat.
But good news, I guess the team store will be open all summer and that includes tomorrow. A day where I will go to the store ALONE and tell the gal behind the counter not to judge me for holding up each t shirt to see if it will make my non-exsistant pecs pop. You have a couple days to get there before first pitch on Friday night. In fact, stop what you're doing now and tell your boss or wife or husband or buddy that you have to use the bathroom and sneak off to Avista Stadium, check out the team store and buy the same shirt that Andy got so he has to deal with the fact that he has the same shirt on as everyone else. Suit up, because opening night is hours away.
My eyes were like a kid in a candy store walking into the place. I wanted one of everything. A jersey, a shirt, another shirt, a pen, a foam finger, another jersey. This was going to be a great trip... until shopping stage fright hit. It may have been the fact that it was hot out and my brain was fried. It may have been the fact I had just got done with a meeting filled day at work. It may have been the fact I felt like Andy was judging me. Either way the fact was fact, stage 1 shopping stage fright had set in in full force. Everything looked so good. Maybe everything looked too good. If I was going to buy one thing I was going to buy everything and that would lead to Top Ramen for the rest of the month. What if I picked out the same shirt as Andy and we showed up to the game at the same time wearing the same shirts and same Levi 505's? (Is it bad that this is actually a real concern???? The answer is yes) Trip one to the new team store ended up being the equivalent to a 0-3 outing with a walk. That walk being the one thing I purchased, a hat.
But good news, I guess the team store will be open all summer and that includes tomorrow. A day where I will go to the store ALONE and tell the gal behind the counter not to judge me for holding up each t shirt to see if it will make my non-exsistant pecs pop. You have a couple days to get there before first pitch on Friday night. In fact, stop what you're doing now and tell your boss or wife or husband or buddy that you have to use the bathroom and sneak off to Avista Stadium, check out the team store and buy the same shirt that Andy got so he has to deal with the fact that he has the same shirt on as everyone else. Suit up, because opening night is hours away.
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