The Game Goes On

It appears I missed the annual "Garage Sale" at Alliance Bank Stadium. Never received my e-mail notice about it. Hmmm.

The Chiefs still have ties to the post season, even though Washington is out of it.

How, you ask?

Gregor Blanco on Breast Cancer Awareness Night
July 21, 2011 Alliance Bank Stadium

Former Syracuse Chief (2011 season) Gregor Blanco plays for the San Francisco Giants. In fact, he plays very well for the Giants.

In other news, several 2012 Chiefs are already playing winter ball in South America:

• Carlos Rivero & Tanner Roark are in Venezuela
• Zech Zinicola & Hassan Pena are in Mexico
• Manny Mayorson & Atahualpa Severino are in the Dominican Republic

The game goes on.

Home Run Derby Take 2 and Buying a Catcher

Tonight was a perfect night for a ball game, and yet the stadium was "empty." Unfortunately it's festival season in CNY; the two biggies this weekend are Greek Fest and Balloon Fest. I'm trying to stay positive: fewer people sitting in 207 to annoy me!



Rumor has it the Nats bought another catcher, Kris Watts, from the Pirates. Don't know if he'll be with the Mothership or the minors.

The  first thing I noticed tonight was the orange background for the numbers on the board.

As Maven said, they should stick with the dark green. It provided the best contrast.

Seth Bynum was yesterday's player of the game.
Gregor Blanco's Throwback Thursday jersey was raffled. (Gregor is doing well with the SF Giants).

Eric Komatsu coached first base for several innings. He waved to us!

Corky Miller (L'ville Bats catcher) was their first base coach for several innings, and he waved to us, too!

We were on the big screen for a blink tonight, mostly because the Famous Eric Cohen was sitting with us. I recommended the spiedi and salt potato combo from the Flavors of Syracuse stand (hold the butter!) as a healthy dinner choice.

We filled out a survey tonight. Ovation wants to know about the food. TV Stevie and I independently trashed the hot dogs and for the same reason: they're not cooked. I wished there was a place for comments, like, "A la cart sandwiches. The whole world doesn't want french fries!" We were given $5 food coupons for participating.

It was another night for HRs at the stadium tonight.
Louisville started out with a 2-run homer in the second. (Navarro)
Carlos Rivero responded with a 1-run blast over the left-field fence, again in the second.
That was it for the Bats, but the Chiefs got the taste in their mouth and went for it.
Pitcher Mitch Atkins hit one over the left-field fence in the third.
The next time he came to bat (4th) the stadium announcer shared the fact that Atkins was the first Chiefs pitcher to hit a home run since June 15, 1975, when Ed Ricks did it. As I said to Maven, "That means Atkins is the first to hit a homer in this stadium."
Corey Brown hit a Grand Slam in the 4th.

In the 7th inning, Scott Carroll came in to pitch for L'ville. Brett Carroll was at the plate. Maven loves that kind of stuff.

I wrote a haiku for Corey Brown. (I wrote a limerick about him last year).

Corey Brown's grand slam

 Put the Chiefs ahead by three.

I hope the Chiefs win. 

The Chiefs eventually did win, 7-3.

We hung around after the game. Seth Bynum came out to greet the other team (he's from Louisville). And the father with the two little kids was out, too. It's batting coach Troy Gingrich. TV Stevie took some awesome photos. Here's the single one I got. These two children are absolutely adorable as they run the bases.

As TV Stevie and I were leaving, we saw other people sitting there, quietly, in the soft air of a perfect summer evening. Lingering. We should have stayed longer.

Where Are They Now?

What are our favorite players doing in the off-season?

Here's what I know:
Jhonatan Solano and Chris Marrero are playing on the same team in the Dominican Winter League.


The Venezuelian Winter League is rife with Syracuse Chiefs (although not all on the same teams). The list includes:

• Ryan Tatusko
• Jesus Flores
• Seth Bynum
• Gregor Blanco
• Josh "You Rock" Wilkie
• Carlos Maldonado

Makes me wish I had the time and dime to head south for a few months.

Don't forget the Fall Classic Sale on Saturday, 10/22 9AM-12NN. Hope to see you there!

Strasburg

Strasburg in Syracuse

DATELINE: Aug 27, 2011
We arrived at the stadium shortly after 5pm for a 7pm game. The main entrance was closed to traffic, but we use a different entrance anyway. There were plenty of folks already on hand. Several tailgate parties were in progress. The lot filled up quickly.

The gates opened at 5:45pm instead of the announced (and usual) 6pm opening. I immediately encountered Bill DeLapp from the Syracuse New Times, who was looking for a good vantage point from which to photograph the draw of the night.

I wondered if our first base coaches would even be able to hear us. Yet there didn't seem to be as many fans in the stands as there were cars in the lot. Soon, we glimpsed parked vehicles in the overflow lot.

While I was sitting around, waiting for starting lineups, they announced Brad Peacock was in the souvenir shop signing autographs. I went into stalker mode and got on line. He signed the brim of my hat. I said hi to him, but I'm not sure he recognized me. After all, he didn't go screaming off in the opposite direction.

NBA Hall of Fame &
One of the Top 50 Basketball Players
of All Time Dolph Schayes

Dolph Schayes showed up, so I went over to say hi to him and snap his photo. Not sure he recognized me either. He and TV Stevie are friends, having both graduated from the same high school in the Bronx. A local sports broadcaster interrupted us. Gotta suck up to Dolph.

Tim Fox from NewsChannel 9 stopped by to say hi.

I heard that Tug Hulett had been named Player of the Game for the 2nd game of the previous evening. YAY! We voted for him.

The crowd kept getting louder and louder. Sandee and Anthony made it in time for the start of the game, although they'd gotten stuck in all the traffic.

Finally, the game started. I began writing down pitch speeds.Strasburg got up to 96mph in the1st inning.

What's in Gregor Blanco's hand?

The first base coach in the bottom of the 1st (and for most of the game) was Gregor Blanco. The past several nights we've noticed him swinging something as he strolls to 1st base. It looks like a stopwatch to me, but that just could be my broadcast years catching up to me.

Bernadina, the first Syracuse batter, hit a home run to start the game right.

While I was looking around the stadium at the end of the first, I noticed something curious.

Grounds crew watching from
way up high!

Strasburg reached 98 mph in the 2nd inning . . . and never exceeded that for the rest of the game.

A newbie, Chris Curran, was first base coach for the next couple of innings.

We wondered if the lemonade stand people all went to the State Fair. We love the lemonade at the stadium and really missed it last night.

There was a family with several young children sitting immediately behind us, and TV Stevie loved them. TV decided that one little fella was going to grow up to be the next Michael Kay. "See ya!" the kid called out every time a ball was hit. It was very cute.

Carlos Maldonado tipped his hat to us before he started warming up Strasburg for the 3rd inning.

By the time the 4th inning rolled around, the sun was setting and the sky was gorgeous.

Notice the 200 Level is full
and the general admission
3rd level is nearly empty.

Can't find the words to describe

Gothic!

By the 5th inning, Strasburg had a perfect game going. It was very exciting to watch. Then the 6th inning. Oh boy. Strasburg allegedly gave up two hits, but I don't necessarily believe the first would have been a hit if a certain outfielder had just hustled a bit. Strasburg was pulled from the game. He left to a standing ovation.

Eventually Rochester scored. In the meantime, Steve Lombardozzi and Matt Antonelli each made an astounding catch. And Bernadina hit an RBI double in the bottom of the 6th (which is why I voted for him, not Strasburg, as Player of the Game).

At the end of the 6th, the stadium announcer informed us that Chris Marrero hit his first Major League hit tonight. YAY Chris!

During the 7th inning, the stadium announcer informed us that Dolph Schayes was in the stands.

Chase Lambin played pretty good at third base tonight, considering he has 25 errors on the season. We never did get his attention. The din in the stadium was unbelievable.

The Voice of the Orange
leaving the stadium
after fireworks.

Matt Park, the Voice of the Orange, was sitting behind me.

WAER's famous Eric Cohen stopped by to say hi.

The last couple of innings were tense. The score was close (I like huge leads). Our relievers were distracted. The Rochester manager was tossed from the game. I couldn't get to my camera quick enough to catch the argument, but it was classic baseball confrontation.

The grounds crew moved from the tippy-top of the stadium to the outfield fence.

Grounds crew watching the end of the game

Eric Cohen commented that I notice the weirdest things at the stadium. Well, that's one of the reasons I wanted to blog. Because being at the ballpark is baseball and more.

Sandee's favorite closer, Josh Wilkie, managed to make sure the Chiefs won. Very tense end of the game.

Team walking off the field after post-game congrats.
Love the "rakish" tilt of Carlos's hat.

Countdown: Three Home Games Left

DATELINE: AUG 26, 2011


Double Header Downer at Alliance Bank Stadium on Friday. We arrived at the top of the 2nd inning of the first game. Sandee texted me that Carlos Maldonado was catching and that Jeff Frazier was playing first.

We found out between games that Chris Marrero was called up to Washington (that's why Fraze was playing 1st). He left around 6:30pm. Good luck, Chris!  You've worked very hard for this moment. We'll miss your bat and your incredible teamwork in the infield.

Carlos Maldonado
at third

We arrived in time to see Carlos Maldonado's first at-bat. He hit a double, and the next batter (Lombardozzi?) advanced him to third. But he never made it home.

We were able to get a very startled wave from Chase Lambin as he trotted in from third base at the end of the second inning. Did he think we'd forgotten him?

Rumor had it (completely UNCONFIRMED rumor) that Strasburg was in the dugout instead of sitting with the other pitchers in the bullpen, because he doesn't like signing autographs. Now, I've read this elsewhere. The Nats have two number one draft picks that drive the media nuts: Strasburg is reluctant and Harper is a hotdog. I read online somewhere that eventually those two should room together in order to even out each other's attitude. But I also read that Strasburg just wants to play ball and all the hoo-ha surrounding him makes him uncomfortable. Completely understandable.

I have coined a new term, and some of the Chiefs' management like it: STRESSburg. Between Strasburg starting on Saturday, and it being a fireworks night, and the Great New York State Fair creating parking issues (due to park-and-ride lots adjacent to stadium), Saturday promises to be a zoo. Good luck to John, Mike, Paul, Erin, and the rest of Chiefs' management.

TV Stevie's Observation of the Game: A foul ball was hit in our direction. A kid chased it and would have caught it except for the empty drink cup in his hand. TV was appalled at the state of our youth. DROP THE CUP TO CATCH THE BALL!

Confusing moment of the game: Third inning of game two. Tug Hulett called out on strikes. Tug didn't agree. He argued. Then he tossed his bat. I mean tossed. Then his helmet. He continued to argue. We were shocked the home plate ump didn't toss him from the game. Then Tug tossed his gloves. His shin/ankle guard. Whoa! Finally the ump tossed . . . Randy Knorr. But we didn't realize this until Tug took his place at third base. We were very happy to see Tug back at third. So happy, in fact, that we voted for him as Player of the Game.

We've spent the past couple of nights asking the interns (with whom we've become friendly over the course of the season) where they go to college and what their plans are for next season. We know now that Jared will be back, working for security. GO JARED!

Celebrity look-alike at the game

Cute kid, but what's
with the
Eddie Munster Hair?

Cleverest fan innovation at the game:

Nobody tripping over this stroller!

First Base Coach Wave

• Gregor Blanco coached first most of both games. He immediately waved to us. 
• Jhonatan Solano came in for the last two innings of the first game, and he, too, acknowledged us.
• Brad Peacock came in for the last two innings of the second game, and he knows to wave to us, too.

Carlos Maldonado Watch

Carlos was very busy during the first game, because he was catching. (And he calls a fine game, too.) During the 2nd game, every time he came out to help warm up a pitcher, he waved and tipped his hat to us. He has a bunch of faithful fans for life now.

4 Home Games Left ::sniff::

Paw Sox again tonight. We didn't cheer loud enough, so the Chiefs lost.

Scary Moment of the Night: We didn't arrive until the top of the second inning. I went down to our seats while TV Stevie bought dinner for us. OMG, it was a good thing he did. Otherwise, I would have been a widow. A foul ball came at Section 207, barely clearing the top of the rail in front of TV's seat before it bounced off the seat behind TV to land in section 107. Had TV been sitting there, it would have hit him in the head. He would have been there if the guy in line in front of him at the condiments station hadn't taken his time putting relish, honey mustard, and ketchup on his hot dog.

Moment of Zen: Both starting pitchers wore 29 (Brad Meyers and Kyle Weiland)

Curiosity of the Night: 
The staff, not the team, was wearing the throw-back Thursday jerseys. Kind of curious.

Suspect, his daughter, & Scooch

Suspect was there with his baby daughter. They posed with Scooch.
Sandee and Anthony had their grandchildren there, too. I'll let Sandee post those pix.

 Amanda (who is a follower of this blog) came over with her husband (with whom I also used to work) to say hi in the middle of the 4th.

Amanda & Eric Hayden

Irony of the night: The NYS Lotto Mega Million game gave buy-one-get-one free tickets to everyone in a section filled with Red Sox Fans. Hello? What's wrong with that picture? Try: they should be in Massachusetts doing that lottery. As TV Stevie always says about local Sox fans: they support the economy of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, not NY State.

In other baseball news: The Yankees set a new record today:
three grand slams in one game. Wow. I'm sorry I missed it.

Carlos Maldonado Watch: Saw him once but it was too loud to call to him.

Time Warp: In the eighth inning, a group of fans along the 3rd base side were chanting: Let's go Sky-chiefs! Wait! It's Throwback Thursday, so I guess that works.

1st Base Coach Wave:

• Gregor Blanco was first base coach most of the game. He waved to us in the second inning.
• Corey Brown. Let me put it this way. I spent several innings composing a limerick, which you can read below.

Guilt Attack: Ryan Tatusko came in to pitch in the 7th inning. I felt a little bad because we ignored him at the picnic last night while we were harassing Brad Peacock.

And now, the moment for which you've all been waiting:

My Limerick

There's always a frown on my face

When Corey Brown coaches first base

He acts like a jerk

with an arrogant smirk

Instead of a player with grace.

Counting Down The Season: 5 home games left

After tonight, there are only five home game days left (1 double-header) in the season. We are devastated. What happened to summer?

And worse, what are we going to do until April?

Tonight was Advertiser Appreciation Night and also the picnic for season ticket holders who attend a minimum of 30 games. Great food. A little windy. Two pitchers on hand to mingle with the crowd, including Section 207 favorite Brad Peacock.

Anthony cornered Brad so we could have a photo op with him. We reminded him who we were, and he remembered and reminded us that he'd waved to us. He's a good sport.

Molly, Brad Peacock, Sandee
at the Season Ticket Holders Picnic

Tim Fox

There were lots of people at the game tonight. Pawtucket always draws Boston fans, and Advertiser Appreciation Night brings out a lot of General Admission fans. It was also Dan Hoard's final baseball game of the season. Dan is the PawSox radio announcer, but he's off to Cincinnati to work for the Bengals. Several other media-types stopped by Section 207 to say hi, including NewsChannel 9'sTim Fox.

Tug Hulett is back from paternity leave. Congrats on the birth of Baby Hudson.

And the big news, in case you live under a rock, is that Stephen Strasburg will be pitching in Syracuse on Saturday.

1st Base Coach Wave:

• Gregor Blanco waved in the first inning. He was the 1st base coach for most of the game.
• Corey Brown coached 1st base in the 5th and the 8th. We didn't even bother. 

Carlos Maldonado Watch: We were pretty sure we saw Carlos sitting at the end of the bench in the dugout. He didn't come out until late in the game -- he helped warm up the pitcher in the 8th inning. As soon as we called his name, he lifted his hat in acknowledgment. He's a player who appreciates his fans.

An amusing moment: A group of fans in Boston hats asked the Usher for help. They were on the wrong side of the stadium. "No wonder I'm confused," one man said. "No," someone else said, "you're a Red Sox fan."

Oddest sighting of the night: There was a boy sitting in the 300 section above the home plate netting -- with a butterfly net. Apparently he planned to snag foul balls with it.

Random Act of Kindness: This happened during the t-shirt toss. A woman in the back of Section 107 caught a t-shirt, but dropped it. Someone in front of her immediately scooped it up and kept it. A man in section 109 saw this, and gave her the t-shirt he'd caught. 

Manners Aren't Dead: Paw Sox squatters -- a mom and several children -- sat behind us tonight, but they were very well behaved. At one point, two of the younger boys were trying to get Scooch's attention, but weren't having any luck. So I called out to Scooch to let him know he had some fans. Scooch immediately came over and did his shtick with the boys. Afterwards, they thanked me for getting Scooch over for them. 

Scoreboard Messages of the Night: 

• Chicken Wing Hoard
• The Chiefs Wish Dan Hoard Good Luck with the Bengals
• Steve Hyder: All the wings are yours.

Tomorrow night is the PawSox again, followed on Friday and Saturday by Rochester. We plan to try to attract Chase Lambin's attention then. It worked with J-Botts!

Finally! A Recap of WCNY Night (July 21)

The temperature, like Strasburg's fastball, was in triple digits.

Molly & Sandee with "parasols"

TV Stevie and I arrived at the stadium early. He started doing his work thing, I bought a Dinosaur and a beer and made my way to my seat. Almost immediately, The Ushers converged on me. From every direction. You see, they deemed it too hot to sit on the first base side of the stadium and assured me I could sit anywhere I wanted on the third base side, out of the sun.

I waited all winter for summer. I was not about to hide from it.

Besides, I'd promised TV Steve I would take photos of the first pitch and the WCNY staffer singing the national anthem, and all of that stuff.  My angle was different. Here are a couple very "soft" photos that I took.

WCNY Staffers congregate

Jon English singing the National Anthem,
with TV Stevie taking stills.

WCNY General Manager, Bob Daino, was slated to throw out the first pitch. Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't like videos from my camera . . . and I did get the whole thing in video. If you really want to see it, contact me, and I'll try to e-mail it to you.

TV Stevie did capture a few stills, which he shared with me.


Bob Daino, Rosie Taravella, Clifford and crew





Clifford, the Big Red Dog,
throwing out the first pitch



Clifford in the Chiefs dugout

Clifford and Jon under the stadium

It was a busy night all the way around.

First Base Coach Wave:

• Tug Hulett didn't turn, but definitely waved
• Michael Aubrey tipped his helmet.
• Gregor Blanco waved.
• Brad Peacock ignored us.

Jason Botts watch: he acknowledged us. Barely.

Best named player on the Bison: Valentino Pascucci.  If you want to know why, ask Sandee.

Carlos Maldonado watch:  At first, he heard us and was looking around for us, but somehow missed us. Later on, after warming up a pitcher, he found us and waved.

Oddest game-related incident: Seth Bynum foul ball went through the protective net behind home plate.

Best line of the night: The Bison Center Fielder struck out, and someone called out: "Thanks for the breeze, Perez!"

At one point, Sandee and I were up on the "Diamondvision" during a commerical break (the Bisons games are usually televised on Time Warner Cable Sports). We waved like crazy. We've heard that the cameras for any televised game frequently find us. One of these days I'll have to record a game and check out that rumor.

So that's it. A recap of most of what went on at Alliance Bank Stadium on WCNY Night at the Game. Better late than never, eh?

The Perfect Game

Clouds at the Stadium look like mountains

Columbus Clippers pitcher Justin Germano pitched a perfect game tonight. Twenty-seven men up, twenty seven men down.


TV Stevie noticed the clouds looked like mountains. Chiefs' General Manager John Simone (who visits the Maven almost every game) suggested someone take a picture just as I was retrieving my camera. Several people said, "Salt Lake City" at the same time.

I will recap last Thursday night's game (and WCNY night at the stadium) soon. But tonight's game deserved immediate attention.

Jersey Raffle: Throw-back Thursday

1st Base Coach Wave:

• Matt Antonelli: looked like he was in pain when he waved to us. Emotional pain. Thanks, Matt.
• Jesus Valdez: big smile, big wave
• Carlos Maldonado: big smile, big wave
• Gregor Blanco: big smile, big wave

Lots of former Yankees on the Columbus team (which is no longer the Yankees Triple A team):





Nick Johnson at bat


• Nick Johnson,
• Shelly Duncan
• Chad Huffman

And Lee May Junior was coaching first for Columbus -- and he smiled at waved at our greeting.

TV Stevie said he's never seen a perfect game. It was tough, because we like to root for the Chiefs, but a perfect game . . . we've seen a lot of great things at Alliance Bank Stadium this season.

Now, about that perfect game.

Yes, I set up my camera and started recording the final batter of the ninth inning.

Unfortunately, Blogger and the video aren't playing well together tonight, the .avi file won't upload.

Not to mention that

I RAN OUT OF MEMORY BEFORE THE FINAL STRIKE.

Maybe I can get TV Stevie's footage and post it here later.

Wednesday's Breast Cancer Awareness Double-Header

Billy Baldwin poses with Molly

Wednesday night was Breast Cancer Awareness Night. Billy Baldwin was in town, because the Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund was the sponsor of last night's game, which turned into a double-header due to Monday night's rainout. Billy was very gracious, taking the time to pose with anyone who asked, and signing autographs.

I missed the first game due to a dayjob conflict. TV Stevie and I arrived at the stadium during the 2nd inning of the second game.

Everyone who worked in the stadium wore pink. And the team wore their new, very cool black and pink shirts. Gregor Blanco used a pink bat, and Jhonatan Solano wore pink cleats.

Blanco using pink bat

Solano wearing pink cleats


It was a crazy night at the stadium.

We got Jason Botts to wave to us again as he strolled in from left field. He also hit a home run, which we thought he shouldn't have done, as he is no longer a Syracuse Chief.


First base coach wave:
(we missed a lot because so many things were going on)

• Corey Brown dissed us again. We probably won't cheer for him anymore, even when he makes those awesome catches in center field.
• Tug Hulett smiled and acknowledged us.
• Michael Aubrey probably didn't hear us.

Jersey Raffle: Throw back Thursday from last season

Funny business: Sandee saw some funny business going on while Corey Brown was being interviewed between games. I saw a continuation after the 2nd game. More on this later. Let's just say Steve Lombardozzi was very, very wet.

Disgusting thing of the game: We see a lot of disgusting things, but last night was just a travesty. Rumor has it the culprits were fans of the Binghamton Mets in town to see the Buffalo Bisons play. I have no way of confirming this rumor. Regardless of who you were cheering for, SHAME ON YOU!

You couldn't pick up your trash when you left???????



Wang, Bix, Extra Innings



Chien Ming Wang

Last night's game against Buffalo was postponed until tomorrow night.

Former Yankee and current Nationals pitcher Chien Ming Wang pitched for Syracuse tonight.  There was quite a crowd on hand. And because the Chiefs played the Bisons, we were treated to Wang at bat.

Wang at bat



Also, a favorite from last year, Brian Bixler, is back with the Chiefs, and he made some key plays tonight -- including a sac fly in the bottom of the 12th inning, which allowed Seth Bynum to score and end the game.

That's right. The game went 12 innings. But Maven said it best at the top of the 10th: this is what we dream about in January, sitting in the ballpark on a perfect summer night, watching an excellent game. He also pointed out that we sat through many 6-1 games in April, so we deserved a night like tonight.

The Chiefs played some amazing defense. Center fielder Corey Brown made a spectacular catch to end the top of the 4th. Left fielder Brian Bixler made a similar catch in the 10th. And Matt Antonelli was just amazing at third base all night long.

Our bullpen is going to be tired for tomorrow's doubleheader.

Jersey raffle: Throw back Thursday

First Base Coach Wave:

• Gregor Blanco - huge smile and wave, and tip of his helmet. Even WAER's Eric Cohen was impressed.
• Michael Aubrey - tipped his hat
• Seth Bynum - didn't hear us
• Tug Hulett waved to us without our saying anything.
• Brad Peacock (in the 12th inning) wasn't sure what to do when he heard us calling, but he smiled.

Fun thing: former Chief Jason Botts plays for Buffalo this year, and played left field tonight. So we called to him every time he came in from the outfield at the end of an inning until he finally acknowledged us with a wave and a smile. He played first base for the Chiefs last year, so Sandee and I cheered for him a lot. We think he's lost weight.

Jason Botts returning to dugout from left field

Busy Night of Baseball



Jimmy Key signing autographs

 Former Syracuse Chief, Toronto Blue Jay, and NY Yankee Jimmy Key was at the stadium signing autographs today. TV Stevie thanked him for 1996.

Key also threw out the first pitch.

Jimmy Key throwing out first pitch











It was a very busy night at the ballpark, in front of a very scant crowd.  Besides Jimmy Key, the staff is busy promoting the upcoming breast cancer awareness night, part of which is sponsored by the Carol Baldwin Foundation. Carol's son Billy will be at the stadium that night. The Chiefs have very nice jerseys, too, even better than last years's pink one. I can't wait to start bidding on these.


   

         DA modeling Billy Baldwin's Jersey

 
And we ran into an old friend, Rob Edelman, who was at the game with his wife, Audrey Kupferberg. Rob & Audrey are

Rob Edelman

passionate about baseball. Rob told TV Stevie again tonight that if he lived closer to Syracuse, he'd be at every game. Rob has written several books about baseball. It's always a pleasure to see him at the stadium.


First Base Coach Waves:

• Tug Hulett tipped his helmet
• Michael Aubrey tipped his helmet
• Gregor Blanco waved
• Brad Peacock -- our bad! We didn't realize he was out there in the top of the ninth. Next time, Brad!

Jersey Raffle: Colin Ballester's Throwback Thursday Jersey from last season.

Intern modeling the Throwback Thursday Jersey from last season

Fun Thing of the Game: Tom Milone going three for three (okay, the last one was ruled an error, but still--) We have a sinking feeling Milone won't be pitching for Syracuse for much longer.

Tom Milone at bat

Milone and Lombardozzi scoring on Lombardozzi's home run

And we got to see CNY native Jason Grilli pitch.

Jason Grilli in action

Tomorrow night begins a 4-game homestand against the Buffalo Bison, which means we'll be able to see former Chief and one of our favorites, Jason Botts. And rumor has it that another favorite is coming back to Syracuse: Brian Bixler.  It's going to be a fabulous week.