Got to see my first minor-league action of the year thanks to Andy from VALPAK (who gave me comp box-seat tix) and I came away very impressed with the Bulls in their 5-1 victory over the inept R-Braves. Mainly due to their amazing progress this year and the fact that this is Joe’s other site, I have started to pay more attention to the Rays (of course, growing up a Cubs fan you tend to root for the underdog). Also had me a former cub sighting as I got to meet Gary Gaetti (1st base coach? of the Bulls) who signed both my kids baseballs. Back to the game…
I was accompanied by my buddy Rich, my son James and my daughter Ani (her very 1st baseball game). 32 year-old Jeremy Cummings was sharp. His location was great and the ball was really moving and pounding hard at the catcher’s mitt (we sat right along both dugouts - depending on where the brutal sun was not shining in earnest as this northern boy is having a difficult time adjusting to this blasted heat). His only mistake was a ball up to the light-hitting he of the .228 and 1 HR - Mark Jurich - RF (5BB 22K) which he promptly deposited near the bank sign in right center-field. Cummings also showed great pickoff moves as he nailed 2 Braves runners at 1st. His final line was 7IP 6H 1R 2BB 6K. 30 year-old RF Jon Weber was the Bulls star of the day with 2 2B knocking in 4. 3B Joel Guzman and 2B Reid Brignac also went 2 for 4. Guzman seems to have some promise as he is batting .283 with 15HR (needs to work on his BB/K ratio - 10/69 - to merit a call-up to the parent club). SS Ben Zobrist claimed the goat of the day as he went 0 for 4 with three whiffs. All and all I was very impressed with this Durham team. However, as a relative newcomer to the minor league action this year, are the Bulls really this good or are the R-Braves really this bad?
In closing, I must say that I was extremely disappointed in the way the R-Braves Stadium is run. I realize they are moving out at the conclusion of the season, however, the diamond-vision screen is essentially burnt out (looks like one of those old monochrome PC monitors from the 80’s), I have seen better kept bathrooms in the bowels of West Virginia off RTE 70, the prices were extremely high for a AAA team ($6 for a beer? $4 for a soda?) and the activities are run with all the intelligence of a dope-fiend in the throws of a 12-hour drug binge. Allow me to explain the latter. They had a ‘kids run the bases’ thing scheduled for right after the game. Um, I mean right after the game and right after watching 55 year-old beer-bellied softball guys try to hit 30mph floaters out of the park for a 1/2 hour. What? Why in the heck would they think 100 kids and their parents would want to bake in the 95degree sun waiting to see this? But wait, there’s more! You bring your child or children to the gate near 1st base and let them run on the field where they let them exit at the gate near 3rd base while every parent (including me) has multiple panic attacks wondering where their children have gone. Absolutely bone-headed. I was in sheer panic trying to locate my 5 and 4 year old kids among a sea of frantic parents and wandering youth. Word to the wise, don’t let your kids run the bases in Richmond!
June 30th, 2008 at 8:05 am
If this is your first MLB game this year why not try a $9 ticket to see the Rays. You are on a Rays site
June 30th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
um, I know I am on a Rays site, I went to see their minor league team play mostly because I like VFTB and I know Joe started this site as his “AL” team and wanted to check out the Durham Bulls since I live right near Richmond!