What a Game

Tonight's game would rank in the top 5 of my all-time favorites from a broadcast standpoint (or at least it would have if not for the constant internet interruptions).  It had a little bit of everything from drama to plays at the plate to huge home runs to great pitching to runners left in scoring position and on and on and on.  All the elements that add up to a great baseball game.

As far as the other issues, I again want to issue an apology and my thanks to those of you who stuck with me through the constant internet interruptions.  I realize they are going to happen from time to time, but tonight was by far the worst it has been all season.  I'm hoping that it was just an issue tonight and will be fine for tomorrow, but only time will tell. 

This is our first year doing internet only broadcasts, and while it's been decent, there is still no substitute for being on local radio and having the game streamed online from a constant radio feed.  What you may not realize is that in addition to broadcasting the game in front of me, keeping a scorebook with pitch count, and looking up other game information in media notes and online, I'm also responsible for setting up the broadcast, getting it started, and playing my own commercials.  It's quite a process and unfortunately, it doesn't always work the way we want it to.  Whereas a radio station would provide an engineer and a producer/board op to go along with my broadcasting, I perform all three roles right now.

If the feed does not get any better over the next two days, you may have better luck by going to www.whitecaps-baseball.com.  Sure you would have to listen to the other team's announcers for a couple of days, but it is an option if you are in a pinch. 

Thanks again for your patience and go Hawks!

Wow

The word "Wow" is about all I can say about today's win over Fort Wayne. I think (and hope) my call of Ender Inciarte's homer expressed both excitement and surprise that he took a two-out, two-strike pitch over the wall in right field was his first home run this season, lifting the Silver Hawks to a 4-3 lead (and eventual win).

Ender will get all the praise, and rightfully so. He had a tremendous day with three hits and three RBIs. Casey and I had talked earlier in the game about getting the bottom of the lineup to produce, and they came through in a big way today.

One overlooked part of today's win is the bullpen work. Four scoreless innings of relief gave the Silver Hawks a chance to win by keeping the game within striking distance.

As we always say, it's just one victory out of a 14o-game schedule, so let's not make it out to be a monumental win. However, let's see how both teams respond over the next two days and see if there has been a momentum swing for either team.

Great Win Last Night

I don't want to get too wrapped up in one victory, because, well...it's just one victory. But considering all the factors, last night's win was definiately a big win for the Silver Hawks.

Consider...

-South Bend had lost 3 in a row and 9 of their last 10.

-South Bend trailed from the 1st inning to the 8th inning.

-South Bend's starter Mike Belfiore pitched a great game, but departed in line for another loss because of a lack of run support.

-The Hawks were held without a hit from the 2nd inning until the 8th inning.

-Matt Helm was hitting below .200 before going 3-for-4 last night.

-Lake County had not lost a game when leading that late all season long.

-The Silver Hawks bullpen pitched 4.0 scoreless innings.

-The game was on the road.

-The game was against the first place Captains.

Add all those together, and to me, that equals a great win.