See "The Hawk" and The Hawks in Peoria

Just saw this item from the East Peoria Times Courier, announcing that Andre Dawson will be appearing at a Peoria Chiefs game this summer.  As luck would have it, he'll be there when the Silver Hawks are in town, so you have a chance to see both the Hawk, and the Hawks at the same time.

Former Cubs Pitcher on Peoria's Staff

The Peoria Chiefs finally joined the party in announcing their 2011 field staff, and it includes a name that is going to be familiar to a lot of Cubs fans. The new pitching coach is Illinois native and former Cubs reliever Jeff Fassero.

Unfortunately, because of the new Midwest League schedule setup, Peoria will not be coming to Coveleski Stadium in 2011. The Silver Hawks host Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities, Clinton, and Kane County from the Western Division, while traveling to Peoria, Burlington, Wisconsin, and Beloit.

Peoria Chiefs
Manager - Casey Kopitzke
Pitching Coach - Jeff Fassero
Hitting Coach - Ricardo Medina

That leaves only the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers without a named field staff to this point. Please go bug Chris Mehring on his blog until he finally announces it.

More Top 10 Rankings

As mentioned last week, Baseball America is working their way through ranking the top 10 prospects in each team's farm system. I figure most of you are smart enough to go to www.baseballamerica.com and find the rankings, but when a team that has an affiliate in the Midwest League is posted, I'll try to link you.

Today, the Chicago Cubs are up, and of course, the Peoria Chiefs are their low-A affiliate. There are a handful of players in the top 10 that were in Peoria this last season, including Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson.

Odds and Ends

A few baseball-related links for you today:

-The Astros have hired Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills as their new manager. For those of you lifelong Midwest League fans, Mills managed Peoria in 1989.

-Former Silver Hawks pitcher Brian Bruney has been added to the Yankees World Series roster.

-ESPN's Jayson Stark tells us that this World Series will determine the Team of the Decade.

-Everyone at ESPN.com is making their World Series predictions, so I will make mine as well. I like the Phillies in 6.

Court Decision from 2008 Brawl

Do you all remember the big brawl last season between the Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs at Fifth Third Field? It made national headlines because a pitcher for Peoria threw a ball towards the Dragons dugout, missed badly, and struck a fan in the head. He was arrested and charged with two different assault charges.

Today, he was found guilty on one of the charges. Click the link for the story.

Why am I posting this on a Silver Hawks blog?

1) I was broadcasting the game as a color commentator, and it turned out to be the wildest night/week of my professional career. The next day I had calls from more national media outlets than you could ever imagine wanting me to comment (ESPN, Fox News, Inside Edition, Etc.), and more friends than I knew I had wanting to know if I was broadcasting. We were not going to comment as members of the Dragons staff, and I still won't comment now because it's not my place. My opinion on the court case and the brawl is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

2) It involved the Midwest League, so I find it to be an important story in that regards.

3) It's a painful reminder of how a game can get too serious. You wouldn't think we'd need to remind ourselves that this is a game that we play/watch because it's fun and it takes our minds off of the problems in everyday life. LIke anyone, I get caught up and wins and losses, and certainly want my favorite sports teams to win. But ultimately, it's still just a game, and we need to remember that from time to time.

Photos From Peoria - Part Four

My view from the press box. I think I took this about the 7th or 8th inning last night, between pitches. It's amazing how I can talk and take photos at the same time. I'm multi-talented. So if you were listening last night and heard what sounded like a camera in the background, this was it.


The view from the Silver Hawks dugout on the third base side. No railing to protect you, so be careful if you are chasing a foul ball by the dugout.


I'm not a big Cardinals fan (see my post in part three about being a Reds fan), but you can't deny that Albert Pujols is one of the greatest players in the game right now. He's also a former Chiefs player, back when they were still with the Cardinals.


The lawn section beyond the left field fence has palm trees planted. More for decoration than for shade, but yeah, I can get on board with palm trees.


I don't even know what this is. It's a sun room I guess, but what it's doing on a baseball concourse is beyond me. I think it's more of an advertisement for a company, but if you are going to do this, shouldn't it be placed somewhere that fans could sit in it and watch the game? It's pushed so far back on the concourse that you really wouldn't have a good view of the game from it, so I guess it's just there for advertising purposes.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of O'Brien Field.

Photos From Peoria - Part Three

The Bradley University Braves play games at O'Brien Field as well, and this is an area on the concourse devoted to the team. The most famous Bradley alum is probably Kirby Puckett, and his number is retired and hanging on the outfield wall. Peoria has really done a nice job including a number of former Bradley players, including those that have played in the majors and minors, in this area.


This is a statue behind home plate of Chiefs owner Pete Vonachen giving a baseball to a young fan. Vonachen is in the Peoria Baseball Hall of Fame, and has won numerous awards for his work in minor league baseball. I had a chance to meet him during an inning break last night, and it was a pleasure to talk with him. Pete's son Rocky runs the team now, but you can tell that Pete really has had a tremendous impact on the Chiefs and their relationship with the Peoria community.


A nice touch at the ballpark is that they covered all the concrete support pillars with former Peoria players who have gone on to play in the majors. I didn't take pictures of all of them, but I couldn't resist taking this one, since it features two of my favorite players from my childhood. I think deep down, I wanted to be a speedy centerfielder like Devon White and Jerome Walton. Instead, I was a second baseman.


For anyone who grew up watching Cubs baseball on WGN during the daytime hours, you'll know why I took this photo. These guys were awesome. I have always been a lifelong Reds fan, but again, with the Cubs games on during the day all the time, I have a special place in my heart for the Cubs of the late 80's and early 90's. Too bad I can't stand the Cubs anymore. Joe Girardi now manages the Yankees, while Mark Grace is a commentator for the Diamondbacks.


The stadium, from centerfield.

Photos from Peoria -- Part Two

The picnic area beyond the right field fence, and the scoreboard from a side angle.


The centerfield fence has ivy on the top of it, a tribute to Wrigley Field's ivy covered walls.


Just a general shot of the stadium from down the right field line. This gives you an idea of the seats and suites layout.


This is an area called "Wrigleyville" which is adjacent to the first base bag. Aside from the ivy, it's just a place to sit on barstools and watch the game.


This is another area, closer to home plate, like "Wrigleyville" above although this one isn't called Wrigleyville. I am a fan of these areas, because it is a different way to watch a game (leaning against a bar-top or sitting in bar stools) as opposed to just sitting in your hard back seat.

Photos from Peoria - Part One

Here are some photos of O'Brien Field in Peoria. It's a very nice ballpark, and you'll notice a lot of ties back to the parent club (The Cubs) and former players (both Cubs and Cardinals). They really embrace the team history here, which is nice to see.


Just a general shot of the stadium taken during batting practice. I was standing on the concourse behind the seats when I took the photo. Notice the downtown buildings in the background. If you have a downtown skyline, it's always good to incorporate it when you are building a ballpark.


This is near the main entrance to the stadium. Again, a link to some former Peoria Chiefs. Click on the photo to make it larger and see all the names.


Part Two -- See above.


They've named the suites after former players. The Sandberg Suite is the largest suite of them all. Ryne Sandberg managed Peoria for two seasons, and everyone here loves him. Heck of a ballplayer, but never took the Chiefs to the playoffs in his two seasons as a manager. That could be more to do with the players than his managing ability, but I just thought I'd point it out.


The large lobby area on the suite level as you exit the elevator. The players on the wall on the far left of the picture is Albert Pujols, a former Peoria Chiefs player when they were affiliated with the Cardinals.

Hello from Peoria -- Roster Move

Got in shortly after midnight last night, and after a mix up with the team hotel, everyone ended up with a place to sleep (even if it was 3 guys to a room in some cases, spread out over two or three hotels). Life in the minors...gotta love it.

Below is the info on today's roster move. Lineups a bit later tonight. Pictures of the stadium coming tomorrow after the game most likely.

In conjunction with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the South Bend Silver Hawks have announced that right-handed reliever Bryan Woodall has been placed on the disabled list with a strained bicep. Taking Woodall’s spot on the roster will be right-handed reliever Victor Capellan.

Woodall is 1-3 with a 6.52 ERA in 11 relief appearances for South Bend in 2009. He last pitched Thursday against Burlington, allowing two runs on four hits in 1.0 inning. Woodall was selected in the 21st round of the 2008 draft out of Auburn University.

Capellan joins the Silver Hawks from extended spring training and is expected to be in uniform for Saturday’s game against Peoria. Signed as a non-drafted free agent on January 18, 2008, Capellan had 15 relief appearances for Missoula last season. He compiled a 0-1 record with a 6.18 ERA, allowing 36 hits over 27.2 innings with 22 strikeouts and 13 walks. Capellan is originally from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic.