I'm not a hockey fan. I grew up in northern Kentucky, and did not have a professional hockey team anywhere near me (the Columbus Blue Jackets did not exist when I was a kid). I never played hockey. I never watched hockey.
With all that being said, I'm a fan of good sporting events, which means I was glued to the TV yesterday afternoon for the USA vs. Canada. I probably watched more hockey on TV in 3 hours yesterday than I did in the first 27 years of my life combined.
It had drama. It had intrigue. It had a great rivalry. It had country pride.
It was an excellent game, but a tough ending for the USA. One person that I know was happy with the result: former Silver Hawks pitcher Jordan Meaker. He's from Canada originally, and expressed his excitement on Facebook yesterday.
Good for Canada. But you know what, good for the USA too. Not only did the U.S. perform well in a sport that most of the country doesn't even care about, but now we get to focus on something even better: Baseball.
Showing posts with label Jordan Meaker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jordan Meaker. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thou Shalt Not Steal (Second Base)!
I thought I was finished blogging for the week, but every once in a while, a story arrives that is too good to not blog about.
Grant Desme, a 2009 Kane County Cougar and a talented prospect in the Oakland A's system, is retiring from baseball to become a priest. I'm certainly not making fun of someone who is pursuing a religious life and I have the utmost respect for Grant and his decision. It's just not a story you hear very often, particularly from someone who had a shot at playing in the majors.
Desme against the Silver Hawks in 2009? .300 avg (3-for-10), 2 doubles, 3 strikeouts, 3 stolen bases
UPDATE: Desme was also hit by two pitches against the Silver Hawks. Jordan Meaker and Brett Moorhouse might want to say a prayer asking for forgiveness, just in case :)
Grant Desme, a 2009 Kane County Cougar and a talented prospect in the Oakland A's system, is retiring from baseball to become a priest. I'm certainly not making fun of someone who is pursuing a religious life and I have the utmost respect for Grant and his decision. It's just not a story you hear very often, particularly from someone who had a shot at playing in the majors.
Desme against the Silver Hawks in 2009? .300 avg (3-for-10), 2 doubles, 3 strikeouts, 3 stolen bases
UPDATE: Desme was also hit by two pitches against the Silver Hawks. Jordan Meaker and Brett Moorhouse might want to say a prayer asking for forgiveness, just in case :)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ugh...Releases
I hate this time of year, because every once in a while I get an email from the parent club (in this case, the Diamondbacks) announcing the release of minor league players.
The first wave of releases hit my email inbox roughly 10 minutes ago, and it always leaves you with a horrible feeling inside. I'll try to seperate my emotions from these posts and think of it from the baseball side, but it's hard when you become friends with these guys over the course of the season.
With that said, here is who was released today:
Brendan Duffy -- Probably the most surprising name on the list in my opinion. I thought Brendan was a tremendous ballplayer whose game (slap hits and speed) plays at every level. That being said, Duffy was a 41st round pick and was "old" for the level he was at this year since he is already 24, and I'm guessing the Diamondbacks decided that he wasn't in their future plans so they should make way for younger guys.
Nelson Gomez -- Nelson might have been the biggest disappointment on the Silver Hawks this season, if only because he led Missoula in home runs and RBIs in 2008. The power numbers were never quite there this season, and he had trouble keeping his starting job. An up and down season for a 23-year old first baseman that wasn't showing a lot of power is a bad combination. Arizona has apparently decided they have better options at the corners with Parker, Wheeler, Conner, and a few others coming up through the ranks.
Jordan Meaker -- Meaker is another player who had a great 2008 and struggled in 2009. After posting a 1.47 ERA with Yakima in 2008, Jordan came back with a 5.67 ERA this season. I thought Jordan showed great growth towards the end of the year, but it wasn't enough apparently. I know I said I'd keep emotion out of it, but I'll say this for Jordan: He was arguably the nicest guy on the team, and I have no doubt that if he doesn't latch on with another team, that he will be successful in whatever field he chooses to go into. He was just a tremendous person to talk to and be around.
Houston Summers -- Houston was the knuckleball reliever that joined the staff for a few games in the middle of the season. He was converted from a position player to a pitcher after a year in the system, and just never quite found the right role. He spent a lot of time bouncing between extended spring training, Missoula, and Yakima. Houston also has the achievement of winning the first ever MiLB.com Moniker Madness tournament.
In addition to those four that played with the Silver Hawks in 2009, the following players were also released from the Diamondbacks organization:
Ariel Brea
Ben Dollar
Astolfo Inciarte
Pedro Rodriguez
Clayton Suss
Greg Thomson (played with South Bend in 2006)
The first wave of releases hit my email inbox roughly 10 minutes ago, and it always leaves you with a horrible feeling inside. I'll try to seperate my emotions from these posts and think of it from the baseball side, but it's hard when you become friends with these guys over the course of the season.
With that said, here is who was released today:
Brendan Duffy -- Probably the most surprising name on the list in my opinion. I thought Brendan was a tremendous ballplayer whose game (slap hits and speed) plays at every level. That being said, Duffy was a 41st round pick and was "old" for the level he was at this year since he is already 24, and I'm guessing the Diamondbacks decided that he wasn't in their future plans so they should make way for younger guys.
Nelson Gomez -- Nelson might have been the biggest disappointment on the Silver Hawks this season, if only because he led Missoula in home runs and RBIs in 2008. The power numbers were never quite there this season, and he had trouble keeping his starting job. An up and down season for a 23-year old first baseman that wasn't showing a lot of power is a bad combination. Arizona has apparently decided they have better options at the corners with Parker, Wheeler, Conner, and a few others coming up through the ranks.
Jordan Meaker -- Meaker is another player who had a great 2008 and struggled in 2009. After posting a 1.47 ERA with Yakima in 2008, Jordan came back with a 5.67 ERA this season. I thought Jordan showed great growth towards the end of the year, but it wasn't enough apparently. I know I said I'd keep emotion out of it, but I'll say this for Jordan: He was arguably the nicest guy on the team, and I have no doubt that if he doesn't latch on with another team, that he will be successful in whatever field he chooses to go into. He was just a tremendous person to talk to and be around.
Houston Summers -- Houston was the knuckleball reliever that joined the staff for a few games in the middle of the season. He was converted from a position player to a pitcher after a year in the system, and just never quite found the right role. He spent a lot of time bouncing between extended spring training, Missoula, and Yakima. Houston also has the achievement of winning the first ever MiLB.com Moniker Madness tournament.
In addition to those four that played with the Silver Hawks in 2009, the following players were also released from the Diamondbacks organization:
Ariel Brea
Ben Dollar
Astolfo Inciarte
Pedro Rodriguez
Clayton Suss
Greg Thomson (played with South Bend in 2006)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Today's Roster Move
LHP Taylor Sinclair to the DL.
LHP Keny Sosa rejoined the team from Missoula.
Story is on www.silverhawks.com.
Also, a rotation change for tonight. It'll still be RHP Randy Rodriguez in game one, but RHP Jordan Meaker will make a spot start in game two.
LHP Keny Sosa rejoined the team from Missoula.
Story is on www.silverhawks.com.
Also, a rotation change for tonight. It'll still be RHP Randy Rodriguez in game one, but RHP Jordan Meaker will make a spot start in game two.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Pitching Notes
In case you've missed it on the broadcast the last few nights:
-Jordan Meaker is starting tonight in place of Brett Moorhouse. Moorhouse will resume his spot in the rotation the next time it comes around against Cedar Rapids on Monday
-This is a move done to limit the number of innings Moorhouse throws. The Diamondbacks like to keep starting pitchers at this level between 120 and 130 innings on the season, and Moorhouse was going to surpass that at his current rate.
-In addition, Wade Miley will be limited as well for the same reason.
-Both Moorhouse and Miley will probably be held to just 5.0 innings per start for the rest of the season.
-I understand limiting innings, and I realize the Diamondbacks know what is best for their pitchers. Sometimes though as a fan it gets frustrating, because a guy could be pitching a great ballgame and gets pulled after five. This is where the low levels of the minors turns into more about development, than about winning. You hope to do both, but ultimately, the goal is to get these guys to the majors to win at that level, and winning at this level becomes secondary to the ultimate prize.
-Jordan Meaker is starting tonight in place of Brett Moorhouse. Moorhouse will resume his spot in the rotation the next time it comes around against Cedar Rapids on Monday
-This is a move done to limit the number of innings Moorhouse throws. The Diamondbacks like to keep starting pitchers at this level between 120 and 130 innings on the season, and Moorhouse was going to surpass that at his current rate.
-In addition, Wade Miley will be limited as well for the same reason.
-Both Moorhouse and Miley will probably be held to just 5.0 innings per start for the rest of the season.
-I understand limiting innings, and I realize the Diamondbacks know what is best for their pitchers. Sometimes though as a fan it gets frustrating, because a guy could be pitching a great ballgame and gets pulled after five. This is where the low levels of the minors turns into more about development, than about winning. You hope to do both, but ultimately, the goal is to get these guys to the majors to win at that level, and winning at this level becomes secondary to the ultimate prize.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Number Changes
In case anyone cares:
Wade Miley will now wear #33. He wanted that number at the beginning of the season, but with Ramon Ramirez being the veteran player, he got first choice. Now with Ramirez promoted to Visalia, Miley has taken 33.
And with #15 becoming open, Jordan Meaker has decided that he'd prefer to be that number.
So to recap:
Miley now #33
Meaker now #15
Superstition runs wild in baseball.
Wade Miley will now wear #33. He wanted that number at the beginning of the season, but with Ramon Ramirez being the veteran player, he got first choice. Now with Ramirez promoted to Visalia, Miley has taken 33.
And with #15 becoming open, Jordan Meaker has decided that he'd prefer to be that number.
So to recap:
Miley now #33
Meaker now #15
Superstition runs wild in baseball.
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