More on the Bees

While researching the Burlington/Oakland situation, I came across an article from a few weeks ago announcing that Bees manager Jim Gabella had been fired by the Royals.

Jim is easily one of the nicest managers in the league, and we certainly hopes that he finds work with another club.

Burlington Signs on with Oakland

With the Kane County Cougars (previously an Oakland A's affiliate) announcing that they signed with the Kansas City Royals last week, it should come as no surprise that the Burlington Bees (previously with the Royals) have now become an Oakland affiliate.

That announcement was made on Thursday by Burlington. As best as I can tell, everyone else in the league will stay the same for the 2011 season.

Didn't See This One Coming

The Kane County Cougars have ended their affilliation with the Oakland A's and have linked up with the Kansas City Royals for 2011 and beyond.

You can read the article here.

You might be wondering why I say I didn't see this one coming in the headline. Well, usually when an affiliation ends, one party is not happy with the other.

But the Oakland A's have always given the Cougars good players, enough so that they make the playoffs basically every year and have won quite a few championships. And on the flip side, the Cougars draw a good crowd, have a nice ballpark, and provide the players with what they need, so why would Oakland not be happy? Seems odd to me.

Anyhow, this now means that the Burlington Bees are without an affiliate because they were previously with the Royals. I've not seen an announcement yet as to whether they will go with the A's, or if someone else might be available.

One obvious advantage of Kane County going with Kansas City...they both are "KC" teams so it could be a merchandise bonus.

Website, Field, and Why I'm the First To Go

First things first: If you go to http://www.silverhawks.com/, you'll notice a new look. Minor League Baseball has redesigned their pages, but all the important information is still there. Not a whole lot has changed other than the design, but it may take you a minute or two to find things. A link to this blog can still be found under the multimedia tab at the top of the page.

Secondly, here is today's picture of the field. Two things to notice:
1) No Snow
2) Joel Reinebold cutting the grass. It's nice to seem him actually working after sleeping in the office all winter

Thirdly, I teased this in an earlier post, but here's the story behind the weird title to this post. Nick Devlin was an intern for the Quad Cities River Bandits. He's now the broadcaster for the Burlington Bees. He's also blogging, (I'll link to his blog on the right side of this page as well).

Anyhow, Nick had a post about other Midwest League bloggers, and included mine. I appreciate the love, but let's take a look to see what he wrote about me:

"Owen Serey's the South Bend radio guy, and an all-around likable young man. When I was interning with Quad Cities last year, I made it a habit to sit in with each opposing broadcaster when they came to town. Usually I'd listen for an inning, ask a few questions during commercial breaks, thank them for their time, and head out. Owen was among those who seemed most concerned that I learn something while I sat in with him, though. Not in an overbearing way, either. It just seemed like he really cared. Now, maybe it's because he's a really nice guy, or maybe it's because he has red hair and will therefore be the first to go in any apocalyptic scenario, but it made for a very positive experience overall, and it makes me like his blog a lot." (emphasis added by me)

While I appreciate the compliments about the blog, and I do like to make sure people actually learn something from me when they sit with me for an inning or two, what's with the line about how red heads are the first to go in the Apocalypse? Did I miss that memo or something? Why does everyone feel the need to take shots at the red-headed guy?

We have a staff meeting later this afternoon, so this is probably my last post for today. I'll have another red-head related post tomorrow for you....and probably a mention or two about baseball as well.

More Top 10's

Baseball America continues their online look at the Top 10 prospects for each system with the Royals and the Twins.

The Royals have their low A affiliate in the Midwest League with the Burlington Bees.

The Twins are with the Beloit Snappers.

Many of the players on the lists are guys you would have seen or heard about in the last few years. Enjoy.

Now Catching for the Montreal Expos: Tom Brady

That headline doesn't make a whole lot of sense, unless you read this piece from Baseball America about NFL quarterbacks who were drafted as baseball players as well.

I've always found it fascinating how many athletes from other sports have been drafted to play baseball as well. I think a large part of that is because baseball has so many rounds, that sometimes they just draft "athletes" as opposed to baseball stars. And if you see a kid in high school who plays two sports, then you take a chance in the 40th round that he might decide to go ahead and sign with your team, hoping he develops.

At the bottom of the article, there is also some talk about Kansas City Royals pitching prospects, some of whom played for Burlington this season.

2009 MWL Champs: Fort Wayne TinCaps

Fort Wayne completed the sweep last night. Here's the story:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 4, Burlington Bees 3

Fort Wayne raced out to a 4-0 lead, thanks largely to a two run homer by Jaff Decker, and then held on for a 4-3 win to complete the sweep and win their first Midwest League crown. Vince Belnome and Robert Lara added the other RBIs for the TinCaps. Juan Graterol homered for the Bees as part of a two hit night.

Mike Watt (WP, 1-0) started for the TinCaps, allowing three runs (one earned) in 5.1 innings. Alexis Lara, Zach Herr, Nick Schumacher, and Brad Brach (SV, 3) combined for 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 2-0
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, Tincaps win 4-3

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I was off by a game obviously.

TinCaps Up 2-0 in MWL Finals

Here is the story from last night's game two:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 2, Burlington Bees 0

Fort Wayne starter Chris Fetter (WP, 1-0) combined with three relievers to shutout Burlington Wednesday night, holding the Bees to only four hits. Fetter went 5.1 scoreless innings, followed by Nick Greewood for 2.0 innings, Alexis Lara for 0.2 innings, and Nick Schumacher (SV, 1) for 1.0 inning.

The TinCaps scored a run in the second on a walk, two singles, and a wild pitch to score the only run they would ultimately need. Allan Dykstra added a solo homer in the sixth.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 2-0
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I'll stick with it.

TinCaps take Game One

Here is the story from last night:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 6, Burlington Bees 2

Burlington had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but couldn't hang on as the bullpen melted down. After Tim Melville started and allowed two runs through 5.0 innings, the Bees bullpen gave up four runs over the final three innings as the TinCaps rallied for the win.

Erik Davis (WP, 1-1) allowed two runs over 6.0 innings to earn the win for the TinCaps while Fort Wayne's bullpen combined for 3.0 scoreless innings. Daniel Robertson had three hits to pace the Fort Wayne's offensive attack.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Wednesday
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I'll stick with it.

Midwest League Finals are Set

Here are the results from last night:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 4, Great Lakes Loons 3 -- (10 innings)
Robert Lara led off the bottom of the 10th with a solo home run to lift the TinCaps into the MWL finals. Great Lakes closer Cole St. Clair gave up a run in the 8th to allow Fort Wayne to tie it, and then allowed the homer in the 10th.

Burlington 2, Cedar Rapids 1
Jason Taylor hit a two run homer in the first inning, and that's all the Bees would need on their way to a victory. Ivor Hodgson allowed only one run in 5.2 innings, with the Burlington bullpen combining for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Tonight
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Wednesday
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

My Prediction
The TinCaps keep catching all the breaks. I'll take Fort Wayne in 4 games.

Pitching Matchups for Burlington Series

Here are the probables for the weekend series with Burlington:

Sat: LH Wade Miley (3-7, 4.52) vs. RH Mike Lehmann (3-3, 4.09)
Sun: RH Ryan Cook (6-8, 4.26) vs. RH Manauris Baez (3-4, 3.93)
Mon: LH Taylor Sinclair (3-3, 3.42) vs. LH Mike Montgomery (2-3, 2.25)

Burlington Photos - Part Three

The outside of the stadium. Again, an odd structure at the top, just added in 2005. Very unique, and it adds a little character to the ballpark.


My view from the radio booth.


From the dugout, looking to right field. A well maintained field is always nice.


The players sit deep inside the dugouts. Most will lean against the railings during the game for a better view.


Another look at the first base picnic area. Up the steps leads to another picnic area. People in Burlington really like picnics.

Burlington Photos - Part Two

A picnic area adjacent to the first base bag. This was full of school kids for Thursday's game.


I took this picture for two reasons. First of all, it gives you an idea of how great the weather was in Burlington. Look at those beautiful skies and picturesque clouds. Secondly, look at the lights. They are old style, as it looks almost like a radio tower with lights on top of it.


Just a small playground for the kids, but at least they put a net over top of it so that those going down the slide don't get konked in the head with a foul ball. Nice thinking Bees!


A picnic area underneath the seats behind home plate. You cannot see the game from here at all. The railing in the foreground leads you up to the seats. This would give you some more shelter during rain delays however.


A beer stand down the third base line called "Homer's @ Third". I like the name, and it has some table tops to lean on, or you can lean on the retaining wall of the field while sipping your beverage. A reminder, frost brewed Coor's Light is the World's Most Refreshing Beer. Please drink responsibly.

Burlington Photos - Part One

Finally, I'm posting some photos of Community Field in Burlington, Iowa, the home of the Bees. There's nothing terribly special about the park, but it serves it's purpose. Stupidly, I didn't take any pictures at the hotel -- known as the Best Western Fun City Pzazz -- which features a water park, arcade, bowling alley, casino, indoor go-kart track, and plenty of restaurants.

You may be thinking, "Owen, why in the world wouldn't you take pictures of this awesome hotel?" The answer, aside from just simply not thinking about it, is because I was too busy dominating the blackjack table. Let's put it this way: I turned my meal money from McDonald's and Subway into a nice steak dinner (or two, or three, or maybe four or five). Cha-ching!

On to the photos:

A shot from the third base side of the press box and the oddly designed roof/overhand they put over top of it in 2005. It is more of a modern art look, and I have another photo of it taken from outside the park in another post.

The concession stand. Pretty much the only concession stand. Reminds me of something you'd see at a high school or small college. Not trying to rip on Burlington here, because it serves the purpose of the number of fans they get. It's just a smaller scale here.


A new addition to the ballpark this year -- the hung some banners commemorating the championships they've won here. The one on the right is from 2008. Also, the ballpark is not slanted. Apparently I can't hold a camera straight.


From right behind home plate. Let me just say that the field is in great shape. Perhaps the best manicured field the Silver Hawks have played on this year (except maybe Great Lakes), particularly for an older ballpark.


Just a general shot of the stadium towards left field. No seats or lawn sections in the outfield. In fact, home run balls disappear into the trees.