A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

cardinals

Summer of Baseball: Dwyer Stadium is a throwback for baseball lovers

Throwback.

That’s the best way to describe Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, home of the short-season Single-A Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League.

It’s not that old of a stadium. Well, let me explain that. The stadium structure and such is from the mid-1990s. The playing field is the original from the late 1930s. So the spot has a throwback feel, but still has the feel of a newer minor league park.

Stamped in.

Stamped in.

But the feel is throwback. There’s no walk-in team store (it’s a small concession-style trailer) or luxury boxes and such, but there’s a decent amount of food choices, pretty good beer, and good sightlines throughout the stadium. It didn’t take long to walk along the concourse, which runs behind the grandstand.

There’s not a lot of bells and whistles like in some of the newer stadiums, so it has a baseball feel. Tickets were easy to grab a couple of hours before the game. There wasn’t much of a line to get in.

Oh, and this was opening day for the New York-Penn League!

We sat on the first-base line and had front-row seats. What was nice was sitting next to an old-time season-ticket holder and some other fans who enjoyed the game and were there to watch some baseball. The crowd was small, though, which is normal (Batavia has been last in league attendance in all but one year since 2010), but it was baseball.

Play ball!

Play ball!

Stadiums like these are quickly becoming homes for college wood-bat leagues as teams leave for greener pastures, so it’s nice to hit these stadiums while you still can. Batavia has been rumored to move for years, so who knows if/when it will happen. The reality is, it’s tough to tell what will happen.

But Batavia was a good place to watch a game overall. People were friendly. The food was decent. The spot was nice. Parking was extremely simple and there were ample spots. I wanted to visit this stadium several years ago while they were still an affiliate of the Phillies, but that is no longer the case (they are the Marlins now).

Still, the team maintains its history with all of its affiliates, which was nice to see.

In the end, it was a good spot to watch a game. Though my ratings weren’t super high for some of this spot, it was still nice to see a game here. Ticket prices were average and it was an enjoyable night.

Park Notes:  

Dwyer Stadium
Batavia, NY
Home of the Batavia Muckdogs (Short-season Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins)
Visited on: June 20, 2015
Opponent: Auburn Doubledays (Short-season Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals)

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 6/10
  • Concessions: 6.5/10
  • Parking: 7.5/10
  • Ambiance: 7.5/10
  • Friendliness: 9/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

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How much is too much?

Will Jimmy Rollins still be running out of here as a member of the Phillies ... or coming back as a hated member of another team?

Let me preface this post by noting that I am happy that Albert Pujols is out of the National League. But that comes from me as a Phillies fan, not me as a baseball fan.

As a Phillies fan — or as a baseball cynic at times — I would have laughed if players like Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter had left the Yankees over the past few years.

But then there’s the baseball fan in me, which always wins out.

See, this morning, Albert Pujols signed to play with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, leaving behind the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s no secret that I don’t like the Cardinals. I never have.

But the reality is, Albert Pujols has been the face of that franchise. For his 11-year MLB career, it’s the only team he’s ever known. He’s hit 445 homer for that franchise. He’s been a cornerstone. And he’s been one of the best of this generation.

This year was his first true test of the free agent waters.

Over his 11 years with St. Louis, he’s made $104,040,436 (according to Baseball-Reference.com). Pujols was lured by many teams this off-season. The Miami (formerly Florida) Marlins and their hideous new uniforms offered a deal that reportedly could have been worth upwards of $300M over 10 years. The Cardinals were somewhere north of $200M, with a deal ranging from 9-10 years, depending where you read. Apparently the rival Cubs were also sniffing around.

Then came the Angels.

They floated around before spreading their wings and winning the battle with an offer of 10 years and somewhere around $250 or $260 million.

Pujols is going to be 32 years old when the season starts. He’s one of the greatest of this generation. He can hit, he can field and he does a lot of things. And it’s not like he’s not made money.

Even more — he’s a virtual God in St. Louis. So much so, that there’s a statue of him!

Now, he’s gone. He’s flying to a new league. A new team. And leaving behind what could have been one heck of a stories career with one franchise. Unfortunately, that’s the sports business. Take more and move on.

Hunter Pence, who I had the chance to cover in Oneonta when he played the Tigers when he was with the Astros farm club, posted on Twitter this afternoon:

If I’ve already made more than $100M in my career. And, the difference of $60M is the difference between $200M and $260M? AND if I choose the statue and team I’ve known for my entire career?

I choose loyalty.

But I’m also not Albert Pujols. One reason this is good for him is so when he gets to the back end of this contract, he can DH in the American League. It might keep him fresher and good for longer.

But loyalty speaks a ton in my mind. To know I could look at my career and see but one team on that list — I would be more than willing to keep the statue and leave the $60M on the table.

After all, that would still mean I’ve made more than $300M in my career.

How much is too much?

That brings me to the point of this post. Jimmy Rollins.

Rollins, as many of you know, is the long-time shortstop for the Phillies. His face has been the centerpiece of this franchise for many years. Drafted in 1996 by the Phils, his entire 12-year MLB career has been spent manning shortstop for the Phils. He won the MVP in 2007 and help the Phillies win their second World Series in franchise history in 2008.

And through it all, he’s been a Phillie.

His last contract was extremely team-friendly. He showed some loyalty. And he wants it in return now that he’s a free agent at age 33 (which he just turned).

To be fair, the past few years he hasn’t been Jimmy of old. He’s had some injuries. His numbers aren’t where they used to be. But he’s still one of the top defensive shortstops in the game and when he’s on, the team goes as he goes. He is a Philadelphia Phillie.

Rollins wants a 5-year deal. Even I realize that a deal like that might be hard to stomach. Not getting it doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t still be here in five years. But, it locks them into a high-range of pay for that time period. The Phillies seem to want to offer him three years at a pretty decent pay raise.

According to Baseball-Reference, Rollins has made $53,780,000 during his career. No matter what, for the next 3-4 years, he’ll be looking at a good chunk of change. Probably upward of $11-14M per year, if the contract works well enough.

But he wants five years.

That has made it difficult for the Phillies to get him signed quickly. Although the front office brass has said over and over that signing Rollins is a priority, it’s been slow going.

This week at the winter meetings, several things came out. The Brewers were in on him. It sounded like a two-team race. Then it was reported Rollins and the Phillies had agreed to terms of a contract.

But hold that thought…

No terms were agreed to, but it was getting close. Or, maybe not.

This morning on Twitter, Shane Victorino sent out a congrats to Pujols and offered something else:

Soon after, Rollins replied:

Rollins and Pujols share the same agent, so it makes sense that Rollins was kind of waiting while the agent worked on Pujols, who is, by far, the catch of the off-season.

But now that Pujols is signed…

See, the Cardinals have some money they can spend. And they need a shortstop. Does Jimmy Rollins go? Do the Cardinals offer him what he seeks? Earlier in the off-season, some reports showed Cardinals people saying there isn’t a match there.

And, in the end, what does Rollins want?

I know, personally, if he shows up in another uniform next year, it will make me ill. It’s my hope that somehow, the Phillies and Rollins come to an agreement and find middle ground to agree upon. The reality is, Rollins means more to this franchise than he could to another — and vice versa. Rollins is the Jeter of Philly. The Yanks and Jeter finally found a way to get it done last year.

Hopefully the same can be done here.

Because in this day and age, it really is refreshing to see someone stay with a team for their career. In this economy, too, it’s hard for us common Joes to realize fighting over a few extra million. With so many people unemployed in this economy, it’s even harder to cheer for someone who makes a ton of money if they can’t show loyalty as well.

Truthfully, in the end, how much money really is too much?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Don’t act like losing wasn’t a big deal

As much as I like Shane Victorino, his tweets following the loss in the NLDS on Friday seemed a little too "OK" with it for my liking.

On paper, today is when the Phillies should be playing in the National League Championship Series opposite the Milwaukee Brewers.

Then, the Phillies would advance to the World Series, meet the New York Yankees, win in a 7-game thriller and have a parade down Broad Street in Philly celebrating their second World Series championship in four years.

On paper.

Before the playoffs, that’s what was supposed to happen.

Again, on paper.

But, as the old cliche goes, “That’s why you play the games.”

If anyone saw Friday’s Game 5 of the NLDS, the Cardinals and Chris Carpenter beat the Phillies, 1-0, to advance. The wild-card Cardinals, who weren’t even going to make the playoffs until the Braves and their historic collapse down the stretch.

The Cardinals got in and weren’t supposed to be a match for the mighty Phillies. This was the year of the Phytin’ Phils.

On paper.

The starting pitching wasn’t bad for Philly. But the offense was putrid. It’s been getting older and older. People hit like crap and made people like Edwin Jackson look like Cy Young.

The St. Louis bullpen, which was a major bad point for the Cardinals this year, looked like a bullpen full of Mariano Riveras.

Awful.

One run. One friggin’ run.

In Game 5, that came early. Two batters in, to be exact. For as great as he is, Roy “Doc” Halladay has had issues in the first inning. I groaned when Rafael Furcal tripled. It was worse when Skip Schumaker followed with a 10-pitch at-bat and doubled.

Halladay being Halladay, he got out of it without further issue and then mowed down the Cardinals through the eighth. Ryan Madson came in and did the same in the ninth.

Alas, Chris Carpenter did it the whole game.

The brain farts didn’t help, either. Like Chase Utley with his second base-running blunder of the series when he tried to swipe second. One out, man on and Hunter Pence up.

Pence eventually grounded out to end the inning, so who knows what could have happened.

Utley and Raul Ibanez each missed homers during the game. The one by Ibanez really hurt, as it ended an inning with runners on first and second.

What could have been.

And Ryan Howard — that $25 million guy when his new contract kicks in next year — grounded out to end he season and went down in a heap midway up the line. He felt something pop, according to media reports. It’s possible it’s an ACL. I don’t wish injury on anyone, but that almost seems fitting with as bad of a postseason that he had following the opener.

Probably not quite as bad as Carlos Ruiz and Placido Polanco, who combined for a whopping 3-for-36 in the 7 and 8 spots.

Solid.

I don’t usually get so upset over a professional team losing. After all, there’s nothing I can do. But, as a fan, I am vested. Emotionally. Mentally. I expect them to be able to score one friggin’ run.

Especially with the second largest payroll in baseball.

One run.

Heck, two runs and the Phils would be moving on. Two damn runs.

Instead, these Phillies are off for the season now. Some, I’m sure, will let this stew. People like Utley, Halladay and Cliff Lee don’t seem like fellas who will let this sit too well.

What’s worse is with the surge of social media, these guys can interact with fans more. That can be a good thing. But it can also be bad. Especially when following a playoff loss that might be one of the worst in the team’s history (considering this team), some of them took to Twitter.

Allow me to quote Shane Victorino:

@ShaneVictorino Goodnight to all…very tough/frustrating night for us all. I hope we can all wake up tomorrow and understand the greater things in life….

The happiness of family, for me the fortunate opportunity to play in a place like Philly who has the greatest fans on the planet…

I know we are all disappointed that our season ended like it did…but remember this…I am proud to have been able to play on this team!

He then had a couple of Tweets to others, thanking them for rooting for the Phils and acting all jovial. He finished with this one:

@ShaneVictorino Till tomorrow…again thanks fans for all the support! We couldn’t have done without you folks. Keep all our heads up!

Sorry, but this bothers me.

These son-of-a-guns make a lot of money to play this game. And, in Philly, they play in front of a sold-out crowd each night. So much so that the ownership became spenders.

If these guys are going to Tweet at all, tweet about how pissed you are. I read these tweets and I get the impression of “Oh, well we lost. It was a fun season!”

No it wasn’t. This team was built to win. If you win 102 games in the regular season, you should win more in the playoffs. Anything less than a World Series title is a complete and utter failure.

Hunter Pence also took to Twitter after the game and said:

@HunterPence3 Thanks for all the incredible support….I’m grateful to be a part of this season and of course disappointed I couldn’t do more.

At least Pence took some credit for as bad as the Phils were. He thanked fans, but still noted that he was disappointed in himself. I can at least deal with this over a little happy go-lucky feel.

I’m not putting this all on Victorino. Or anyone else. Or any of the quotes I’ve read in newspaper stories. But this one stings.

And I would have liked to have seen one of these guys let us know that.

In a Philadelphia Inquirer story, Ryan Howard at least said something that made sense:

“It sucks,” Howard said. “It sucks.”

It does, indeed, Ryan.

And you know what sucked even more? That the Phillies cleanup hitter went hitless in his final 15 at-bats of the playoffs.

This one stings so much that I might actually not care about watching the rest of the playoffs, a rarity for me. But this one really bothers me. A loss in the NLCS wouldn’t have hurt so much. But to lose in the first round and then have it be like this? My interest has gone down.

I’ll hope for the Tigers, based on having covered their short-season Single-A minor league team for several years.

Outside of that, I guess it’s the long wait to pitchers and catchers.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

It’s now Doctober

It's Doctober, Phils. Do it tonight!

I can’t believe I’m writing this post so early in the postseason.

I didn’t think the Phillies would have their backs against the wall this early. But they do. And it’s a scary proposition.

Tonight is the deciding Game 5 between the Phytins and the Cardinals. Winner moves on. Loser goes home. On paper, the Phils are supposed to win. After all, they has the most wins this season in Major League Baseball (102).

Alas, the games are on the field, not on paper.

And tonight is scary.

But, it’s Doctober, ladies and gentlemen. There’s a reason the Phillies went and traded for Harry Leroy Halladay. He’s the best in baseball. The man ooozes awesomeness. And tonight is his chance to show why he was traded for and signed to a good deal.

And if he does get into trouble, one Clifton Phifer Lee is apparently going to be available out of the bullpen. That’s one of the reasons why he was brought in. I’ve heard people saying this idea is crazy. Why would the Phils want to use both of these guys in this game. Then who starts Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday?

If the Phils lose, there’s no worry about that now is there?

All hands on deck. Win this one before worrying about the next round. After all, the Phillies lineup made Edwin Jackson look like Cy Young on Wednesday.

One game stands in the way of the Phillies continuing their march toward the ultimate goal.

A loss and it’s a wasted season. A season with 102 wins. With amazing expectations. With a lineup and staff built to win now. Lose tonight and all that is washed down the toilet. Getting to the playoffs isn’t enough for this team. The NL East title means nothing. This team is built for something else.

It’s not 2008 anymore. It’s 2011.

Perform tonight and it doesn’t matter how you get to the next round. Just get there. Win and move on. Lose and have a million what-ifs.

Players like Ryan Howard need to perform. His Game 1 performance was excellent. But from then on out, he’s stunk. It’s like 2010 all over again.

And in the end, as it has for the past two years, it falls on the shoulders of Roy “Doc” Halladay.

To him, it’s a game. And he’ll go at it like normal. Take this clip from an Associated Press story:

“I don’t think you can get too caught up in what game it is, and what it means,” Halladay said. “I think if you go out thinking ‘Wow, this is everything, all-in-one,’ I think it can make too much out of it.”

Business as normal. As it should be.

The crowd at Citizen’s Bank Park should be hopping tonight. Start out fast, Phils, and the crowd will stay with you. Give them something to get rowdy about.

And when it’s all said and done, hopefully “High Hopes” will be blaring in the background and the Liberty Bell lights swinging back and forth. If and when that happens, then you can worry about who is pitching Sunday.

Until then, follow Doc’s lead.

Business as normal.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!