Niko Gallego the Movie Star

Curt Rallo of the South Bend Tribune published this piece in today's paper about Niko Gallego and his role in the movie Moneyball. 

Always an interesting story when you talk about ballplayers being actors and actors playing sports.  My goal is to grab Niko for a pregame interview today as well, so we may dive into this more on the pregame show if he's available for an interview after batting practice.

Yazy Arbelo Article Link

Curt Rallo is the beat writer that covers the Silver Hawks for the South Bend Tribune.  This week, he wrote a story detailing Yazy Arbelo's power and his past.  You can read it for the next seven days for free at this link:  http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/sbt-south-bend-silver-hawks-going-long-staying-strong-20110522,0,6828894.story  After seven days, it goes to the paid archives.

Big League Haley

I mentioned in a blog post earlier this week that Mark Haley got the chance to coach third base for the Diamondbacks in a Spring Training game.  His latest blog entry at the South Bend Tribune website recounts his day and talks about how great some former Silver Hawks did in the game. 

More Haley's Comment

Two more posts from Hales went up today on his blog at the South Bend Tribune (see my earlier post).

Bonding Through Bowling

Hales Coaching Third for Big League Team

Haley's Comment

Manager Mark Haley is blogging again from Spring Training for the South Bend Tribune.  You can get to it through the main page (http://www.silverhawks.com/) or by clicking here. 

Once on the site, be sure to scroll down and look in the "past entries" section on the lower left side for older entries.  There are two posts so far, and I'll try to link you to any new ones when I see them.

Vote for the Silver Hawks

Every year, the South Bend Tribune does a Readers' Choice Poll where you get the opportunity to vote for your favorites of the Michiana area. 

This year, the Silver Hawks were fortunate enough to be nominated in six categories.  While we'd like to win them all, it would be really cool to be voted as the "Favorite Family Entertainment" and "Favorite Place to Take the Kids". 

The team is also nominated for Favorite Banquet Facility, Favorite Place to Impress Out of Town Guests, Favorite Hot Dog, and Favorite Outdoor Dining.

Voting is easy as 1-2-3.

1:  Click here: http://poll.southbendtribune.com/entrypage.html
2:  Login or Register for free.
3:  Vote.

Photo Gallery of the Construction

As you all know, Coveleski Stadium is undergoing a facelift.  While the original plans have been scaled back, there is still a lot of construction being done around the field. 

I am still taking photos of the construction on a daily basis, and the best ones are now being published on the South Bend Tribune's website.  The gallery has been set up, and will be updated frequently with new photos.

I recommend bookmarking this address and checking back often for the latest updates:  www.southbendtribune.com/thecove. 

And Now for Something Completely Different

For those of you that have been to the Cove, or even those that listen online and can hear him through the crowd microphone, you are going to be familiar with the subject of this article. Yes, the famed beer man who has the crowd joining in with his sales pitch of "Peanuts....and Cracker Jack" was written about in the South Bend Tribune.

You can find the story of Anthony Allen at this link.

Broxton in the South Bend Tribune

Silver Hawks beat writer Curt Rallo did a story for today's paper about Keon Broxton and all the triples he's amassed this season.

You can read the story here.

And, if you are so inclined, you can read Curt's game story about last night's loss at this link.

Casting at the Cove

Wednesday night at Coveleski Stadium has been dubbed "Casting at the Cove" and is sponsored by Indiana Outdoor News. The night will feature a tribute to outdoor activities outside of baseball.

Louie Stout wrote a nice article about the event for the South Bend Tribune, which you can read by clicking here.

South Bend Notes from the All-Star Game

Here's more information on why Charles Brewer didn't start, Matt Davidson's home run derby appearance, and other tidbits from the All-Star game, courtest of Curt Rallo at the South Bend Tribuine.

Changes and Community Service

First, two changes to tell you about:

1) Chris Owings was given a hit in the top of the first inning, instead of what was initially ruled as an error on the third baseman. I speculated on the air that this would be changed, and it was.

2) Cardinals #1 prospect Shelby Miller is not pitching today for Quad Cities. Apparently his arm is tired and he's being skipped. Instead, lefty Dan Calhoun will start.

Now, on to a story in the South Bend Tribune about the Silver Hawks and their efforts with community service. This is a nice piece and lets you know some of what the players do off the field for the South Bend community: http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100608/SPORTS12/100609506/1001/Sports

Other Stuff to Read Today

Since I just gave you the story about a switch pitcher (see post below this one), here are a few Silver Hawks related stories to read.

-Nick Piecoro has a profile of Keon Broxton, who is very likely to end up in South Bend to start the season.

-Piecoro also has info on Jordan Norberto, who hasn't pitched since Thursday with a sore elbow. Norberto is having such a good spring, that he could make the big league club to start the year, but only if he is healthy of course.

-Finally, I always get asked about the Silver Hawks roster this time of year. While any of us could make an educated guess about who will be here, the biggest thing to realize is that there are a ton of factors that go into it, and the slightest change impacts every roster in the system. Mark Haley has more in his latest blog post on southbendtribune.com.

Decision Time

Mark Haley has an excellent blog post up on the Tribune website about how the Diamondbacks and minor league managers have some tough decisions to make in spring training about the future of players, and how sometimes, getting a "real job" isn't the worst thing in a world for some of the guys. It's an interesting read.

New Blog from Hales

Hales is talking about spring training daily routines on his blog at the South Bend Tribune's website. Read it here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

To help celebrate, the Silver Hawks are offering their special St. Patrick's Day shamrock hat for only $15 (a $5 savings). You must buy today if you want the special price.

In other news, Al Lesar of the South Bend Tribune did a great feature article on Mark Haley. It's on the front page of today's sports section, or you can read it here. And then read some more Mark Haley stories here.

Wednesday Morning Wrap-Up

-Last night I spoke to the Goshen Aktion Kiwanis Club, which is a group of developmentally disabled adults. They were very gracious and excited to have me there, served hot dogs and cracker jacks for dinner, and played baseball songs on the piano while they ate. It was a great time, and I thank them for inviting me to their meeting.

-The Diamondbacks beat my beloved Cincinnati Reds in a spring training game yesterday. Former Silver Hawks outfielder Justin Upton had a home run for the Diamondbacks, while former Dayton Dragons outfielder Jay Bruce homered for the Reds.

-It's rainy in South Bend today, which normally stinks, but it's warm enough outside that I'm not complaining.

-Mark Haley has a new blog entry over at the Tribune's website.

News from the Desert -- Monday, March 8th

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Let's catch up on some stories involving the Diamondbacks from this past weekend.

First, the Brandon Webb saga continues. On Friday, it was news that he might start the season on the DL. Then yesterday, he played catch and felt fine afterwards. This could get interesting.

Next, Mark Reynolds wants a new contract. But predictably, the contract talks are now a distraction.

Again, Mark Haley should be in Arizona now. He'll be blogging for the South Bend Tribune, and you can read it here.

I'll be back after lunch with a picture of the field (no snow!?!?!?!), and why I am a good guy, yet will be the first to go "in any apocalyptic scenario." Come back to find out what that means.

Mark Haley is Blogging!

I never thought I'd see the day when Mark Haley got with the latest technology and started blogging. But here we are, on March 2nd, 2010, and the manager of our Silver Hawks will be blogging about Spring Training from Arizona for the South Bend Tribune.

Here's the link: http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100302/BLOGS38/100309894

I'll also be referencing his blog a lot on these pages, so you'll be hearing a lot from the manager in the next few weeks.

Monday Evening Update

Well, the good news is that the sun came out today, the tarp is off the field, and the snow has all melted.

The bad news is that there is more snow in the forecast for tonight. So, I guess we wait and see. If anything changes, you can find the information at www.silverhawks.com. I'll try to post updates here throughout the day as well, time permitting.

Also, the team arrived in town Sunday, and all the players were at the stadium today. I had a chance to talk with some of them today, and they all seem excited to be here and ready to go.

After some team meetings, they headed over to the indoor hitting facility at Notre Dame to get in some work. If you live locally, there should be a couple articles in the South Bend Tribune tomorrow about a few players (It seemed like Ryan Babineau and Justin Parker were the first targets of the media today). You should also be able to find the stories online at www.southbendtribune.com. Fans should go ahead and bookmark that page as well since they will be the primary source for articles about the team.