Hated Rivals

The results are in from the latest poll question:  Which Eastern Division rival do you like the least?

And your votes (with the winner in italics)

Bowling Green Hot Rods 0 (0%)
Dayton Dragons 2 (11%)
Fort Wayne TinCaps 3 (17%)
Great Lakes Loons 6 (35%)
Lake County Captains 4 (23%)
Lansing Lugnuts 1 (5%)
West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (5%)

I'm curious as to what the results of this poll would have been two years ago, before the Loons started beating the Silver Hawks regularly.  Hopefully, the Silver Hawks figure out a way to solve the Great Lakes mystery and beat up on the Loons in 2011.

Although I don't think there is as much hate for the Western Division, let's see what you think about them in the new poll question posted on the right side of the page.

Game Worn Jerseys On Sale

Have you ever wanted to wear the jersey of your favorite player?  I don't mean a replica...I mean the actual jersey.  Now you can. 

The South Bend Silver Hawks are selling game-worn road jerseys from the past few seasons online right now.  Visit this link to find out what numbers are available. 

Plenty of jerseys from future Major Leaguers are still available.

Calling All High School Summer and Legion Teams

Coveleski Stadium will be hosting a summer tournament for high school summer teams and legion teams.  The tournament is at the end of June and all teams are guaranteed four games on the newly-remodeled playing surface at the Cove.

Space is limited, so act quickly.  For more information, click here.

Diamondbacks Have Been Busy Today

Some news from the parent club on this Monday afternoon:

First of all, the Diamondbacks traded for Armando Galarraga -- the former Tigers pitcher who famously had a perfect game fall apart on an admitted bad call by umpire Jim Joyce.  They gave up two minor league pitchers, neither of whom pitched for South Bend.

Secondly, they signed Micah Owings to a Minor League contract.  Owings (no relation to former Silver Hawks infielder Chris Owings) played for Arizona in the past, then spent the last couple of seasons in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

MiLB Story About the Renovations

National baseball writer and fellow blogger Benjamin Hill (http://bensbiz.mlblogs.com/) has written article for MinorLeagueBaseball.com about stadium renovations throughout the country.  The Cove is one of three stadiums that is featured prominently in the article published on Friday. 

Read about all three stadiums here.

Sub Zero Temperatures

Quite honestly, I'm getting sick of this weather.  I know that I shouldn't complain, and there are parts of the country that have it worse than South Bend right now, but there is no part of seeing that little negative sign in front of a number that I enjoy when it comes to temperature.

I am a baseball guy, which means I am a summer guy, which means I am a warm weather guy.  Many of my friends would laugh and say that because of my red hair, I'm also a sunburn guy.  You know what?  I'd rather deal with a horrible sun burn right now than that stinging windburn you get when you walk outside to scrape your car windows before work.

Since I need to think warm thoughts, let's update the countdown to some baseball events this year:

23 days until Diamondbacks Pitchers and Catchers Report
27 days until Diamondbacks Position Players Report
70 days until Diamondbacks Opening Day
74 days until Silver Hawks vs. Notre Dame Exhibition at the Cove
76 days until Silver Hawks Opening Day at Fort Wayne
80 days until Silver Hawks home opener at the Cove

Job Fair!

The Silver Hawks annual Job Fair will be Saturday, Febuary 5th at 10 AM.  The home page (http://www.silverhawks.com/) has all the information you need.

We'd love to have you come on out and join our team.

Local Pitcher Re-Signs with Diamondbacks and More Prospect Rankings

Logansport High and Notre Dame alumnus Aaron Heilman has re-signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  It's only a one year deal, but it allows him the opportunity to compete for a starting job with the parent club. 

In other news, Minor League Baseball is doing a series of the top 10 prospects at each position.

Bobby Borchering appears on the third basemen rankings, while Chris Owings makes the cut for shortstops.  This is different from the Baseball America rankings that I posted yesterday.  If you go to either of the links above though, you can see the full rankings per position (and other positions through a sidebar).

Former Silver Hawks = Future Stars

I posted this over at the main page (http://www.silverhawks.com/), but I figured I should link to it here as well.  Baseball America released their rankings of the top 10 prospects in the Diamondbacks system yesterday, and it is chock full of Silver Hawks alums.

Nine of the top 10 played in South Bend, with a few more added in the "Best Tools" area. 

My article can be found here:  http://southbend.silverhawks.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110118&content_id=16454250&vkey=news_t550&fext=.jsp&sid=t550

The Baseball America article can be found here: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2011/2611157.html

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.

An Opportunity to Make Fun of Me

I try to keep myself clear of the insult line as much as possible, and I don't unnecessarily call attention to my stupid actions. 

However, this one is too embarrassing to keep to myself.  I am sitting at work right now, in extreme pain due to a back that is all out of whack.  This is the 4th or 5th time in my life I've thrown my back out (which is embarrassing in itself given that I'm only 28).  However, every other time I've done it I've had a legitimate reason:  lifted something too heavy, shoveled snow all day, slipped on ice, etc.

Not this time.  No, this time I've apparently managed to throw my back out because I played Tiger Woods Golf for the Nintendo Wii yesterday.  I played in the afternoon, and managed to make it through my round without any issues.  However, as I got ready for bed last night, the familiar discomfort started.  I was able to sleep through the night, but things have gotten worse this morning, and now I'm hobbling around the office staring at my shoelaces because I can't straighten up. 

The real question:  If this is happening at the age of 28, what am I going to be like when I'm 50?

Intern Diary

There's a new way to stay in touch with the South Bend Silver Hawks.  Our newest intern, Natalie, has started a blog to update our fans on the life of a Minor League Baseball intern.  Her primary focus is in promotions and community relations, but this blog will give you a pretty good insight on the offseason workings of a minor league baseball franchise.

You can read it here:  http://iamaminorleagueintern.tumblr.com/

Pitch Clock

This is up on the Silver Hawks facebook page as well, but the NCAA is implementing a 20-second pitch clock for 2011.  In most cases, the umpire will just carry a clock with them, but some conference may elect to put up a visible clock for the pitchers. 

I'm curious as to your thoughts on this.  I consider myself a baseball purist, but I have mixed feelings on the subject.  What do you think?

Marte Suspended 50 Games

I try to keep this blog full of mostly positive stories about former players, but I also intend for it to be a great source about Silver Hawks from the past, present, and future.  Unfortunately, sometimes those stories will be negative, as we have seen with players getting traded, released, etc.

Today, we hit another type of negative story with the announcement that former Silver Hawks outfielder Alfredo Marte has been suspended 50 games for a positive drug test.  According to the story, he tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Marte played for South Bend in 2009, hitting .251 with seven homers and 71 RBIs.  He also led the team with 27 doubles.  Last year, Marte was with Visalia, hitting .260 with nine homers and 61 RBIs. 
 
The link above states that he is currently on the AAA Reno roster, but don't read too much into that.  There is really no way that Marte was going to start the year at AAA, but everyone has to be on some roster during the offseason.
 
I first saw this story on esteemed Arizona Republic writer Nick Piecoro's blog, where he basically sums up Marte's career the best with the following line:  Marte was once a fairly well-regarded prospect in the system, a guy with a quick swing, a strong arm and, some believed, a chance to become a dynamic player, but he hasn't lived up to expectations. He hit just .260 with a .688 OPS in High-A Visalia. This suspension, obviously, is a huge setback in his career.

Steroid Poll Results

I thought the question I asked last week about steroids in regards to the Hall of Fame was an interesting one given that we are fully into that time where the suspected users are becoming eligible for the HOF vote.

First of all, here was the question:  How should steroid users or suspected steroid users be handled in terms of the Hall of Fame vote?

And here are your votes, with percentages rounded off:

None of them get in 1 (7%)
Keep out only those that actually failed a test or admitted use 4 (30%)
Handle on a case-by-case basis 3 (23%)
Put deserving players in, note the steroid link on plaque 3 (23%)
Vote as normal without considering steroids 2 (15%)

Although it's close, the winning vote was that you keep only those that actually failed a test or admitted use out of the Hall of Fame. 
 
Here's the problem with that:  Under this logic, you are letting in Sammy Sosa (who never failed a test or admitted use but is highly suspected of using), yet keeping out Rafael Palmeiro (who failed a test).  That doesn't quite seem fair, especially if you think Palmeiro was a better player than Sosa (and he was). 
 
So then you say, keep out all suspected users.  Here's the problem with that:  If you have no proof, isn't it possible that some guy is being accused when we really don't know?  Take Jeff Bagwell for example.  He was a great player, but many people think he used steroids.  However, what if he didn't.  It is right to keep him out of the Hall of Fame on suspicions alone?
 
The next step is to handle on a case-by-case basis, which again creates the same dilemma as above.  You end up letting some people in because you don't think they used (when they might have), and you keep some people out because you think they used (when maybe they didn't).
 
Basically, this is my long-winded way of saying that I think you have to start voting in steroid users and suspected steroid users if their numbers are deserving.  I think if you know for a fact that they used steroids, then you need to note on their plaque that they either failed a test or admitted use.  If you don't know it for a fact, you have to assume innocence until proven guilty. 

Does this jeopardize the integrity of the Hall of Fame?  Probably.  But the entire sport has had its integrity called into question by the use of steroids and shouldn't the Hall of Fame reflect that era, just like it reflects any other eras (segregation, juiced ball, dead ball, etc)?

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. 

Digging Out from the Snow

For those of you not in this area, consider yourself blessed.  South Bend and the surrounding communities got blasted with roughly two feet of snow over the weekend.  Below are a couple of pictures of the stadium taken today (the construction crews took a day off from their work it appears.  I can't blame them...they can barely find their equipment).

I don't have a whole lot else for you today.  However, if you want to read about former Silver Hawk Clay Zavada returning to the Diamondbacks, may I recommend Nick Piecoro's latest blog entry at the Arizona Republic.

Reliving a Tough Night

Jim Joyce is a great umpire.  Unfortunately, Jim Joyce also missed a call that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game last year.  More than anything in the world, Joyce wishes he could go back and change things.

However, that's not how life works, and moments like this continue to get brought up over and over again.  When they do, you only hope that they are treated in a professional manner.

So I was happy when today's article by Amy K. Nelson on ESPN.com that updates us on Jim Joyce and how he's feeling now does just that.  It's a deep and insightful look into a man who readily admits he made one of the biggest mistakes in baseball history, and who like all of us, just wants to move on with his life.

Hall of Fame Ballot

Given that I'm not a sportswriter, I don't have a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  To be completely honest, I'm glad that I don't have a vote because with the steroid era players reaching the ballot, it's getting harder and harder to decide who should be in the Hall of Fame.  The official announcement is today at 2 PM.

However, what I do have is a group of friends that debate the Hall of Fame through email every year when the ballot is released.  I typically start the email exchange, remind everyone that they can vote for up to 10 people (per the Hall's rules), and then list my ballot.  In some places, I feel that it is necessary to explain my vote.  In others, a simple "No" is enough. 

For the first time ever, I voted for the maximum number of 10 people.  My ballot is below in alphabetical order with some comments (tell me who you would vote for in the comments)

Roberto Alomar - YES. Although I really don't like him, he was one of the greatest second basemen of all time.

Carlos Baerga - NO.

Jeff Bagwell - YES. He was the best player on that team for the better part of a decade, and arguably in the franchise's history.

Harold Baines - YES. Although I'm wishy washy on him. I change my mind on him yearly (although I did go back and look, and I said yes last year as well).

Bert Blyleven - YES. Great pitcher on some bad teams. It's time to put him in.

Bret Boone - NO. I loved the guy when he was with the Reds, but no way should he be in the HOF.

Kevin Brown - NO. Good pitcher, not good enough for Hall of Fame.

John Franco - NO. But he was really good.

Juan Gonzalez - NO. Although I could be swayed in favor of this two-time MVP.

Marquis Grissom - NO.

Lenny Harris - NO. If there was a pinch hitting Hall of Fame, he'd be first ballot.

Bobby Higginson - NO.

Charles Johnson - NO.

Barry Larkin - YES. He was better offensively than all the shortstops currently in the Hall. His defense was outstanding too. And I'm biased as a Reds fan.

Al Leiter - NO.

Edgar Martinez - NO. Although I had him as a yes, and realized I reached 10 people, so he's my 11th or 12th vote and had to get changed to a no.

Tino Martinez - NO.

Don Mattingly - NO. Still can't pull the trigger on him.

Fred McGriff - YES. I voted for him last year, so I don't want to change.

Mark McGwire - YES. He was fascinating to watch. I know he won't get in, but I'll vote for him.

Raul Mondesi - NO.

Jack Morris - NO.  A great pitcher, and even better in the postseason.  That doesn't mean he's a Hall of Famer.

Dale Murphy - NO, although I know many who will disagree.

John Olerud - NO, but I loved the helmet.

Rafael Palmeiro - YES. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about the steroid players, so I'm just going on his stats which are an obvious yes.

Dave Parker - NO.  Although as I said last year, my dad would put him in.

Tim Raines - NO.  I'm starting to read more and more in favor of him though, so maybe next year when I don't already have 10 votes.

Kirk Rueter - NO.

Benito Santiago - NO.

Lee Smith - YES. He was a phenomenal closer.

B.J. Surhoff - NO.

Alan Trammell - YES. But as I said last year, only if Larkin goes in as well.

Larry Walker - NO. Although he probably ranks 11th on my list.

So I voted for all 10 that I'm allowed. Alomar, Bagwell, Baines, Blyleven, Larkin, McGriff, McGwire, Palmeiro, Smith, and Trammell.

I had the most trouble debating the following outfielders/DH's:  Harold Baines, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro, Larry Walker, Tim Raines, Dale Murphy and Edgar Martinez. Admittedly, I did not do a side-by-side stat comparison and could be talked in or out of certain players.

CarGo Cashing In

Former Silver Hawks outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is on the brink of cashing in on his huge season in 2010.  ESPN.com is reporting that he just needs to pass a physical in order to finalize a seven year, 80 million dollar deal.  Not bad, huh?

Also, as if the playing contract wasn't enough, he's also signing endorsement deals, like this one with Gillette (thanks to offical scorer Pete Yarbro for the link).

MiLB.com Checks in with Collmenter

Minor League Baseball is doing a series of 10-question interviews with players on their website, and yesterday's subject was former Silver Hawks pitcher Josh Collmenter.  He talks about his success in 2010, the Arizona Fall League, and even a little bit about his Mustache Awareness Night in South Bend during the interview.  You can read it here.

Back to Work

Well I certainly hope everyone had a great holiday season.  Mine was great and I had a lot of time to spend with family and friends.  I also was able to iron out a few wedding details with my fiancee, so it was a very productive Christmas break.

Now that it's 2011 and the baseball season starts in about three months, things are going to be incredibly busy around the Silver Hawks offices.  For one, the construction around the stadium will be hectic in order to be ready for Opening Day.  Aside from that, there are programs and media guides to be produced, tickets and advertisements to sell, and games and events to plan.  It's going to be a little crazy for the next few months, but it'll all be worth it once April 7th rolls around.

I'll try to maintain my regular posting schedule of at least one per day (and sometimes two), but if there are days where you don't see anything, just know that I haven't forgot about the blog. 

Happy Holidays!

Just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy holiday season.  Next to hot, summer days with baseball games to broadcast, Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I love seeing family and friends, giving and receiving presents, going to mass on Christmas Eve, baking and eating cookies, and on and on. 

I remember when I was a kid thinking that Christmas wouldn't be as much fun when I got older.  As it turns out, it's more fun!  It also has taken on extra meaning since I live 4.5 hours away from my nearest family member.  I cherish my time at home a lot more than I ever did before.

Adding to the festivities this year is that I'm also trying to plan as many wedding details as I can while I have an extended break from work, so that will keep me busy as well.

Anyhow, that's my long-winded way of saying that I probably won't be blogging again until after the first of the year, unless something major happens between now and then. 

Happy Holidays!

My Thoughts on the Silver Hawks Staff

As we wind down the 2010 year, I wanted to take a minute to look ahead to 2011 and the Silver Hawks coaching staff that was announced last week.

The return of Mark Haley for a seventh season doesn't get a lot of publicity in the South Bend area, because year-in and year-out it is assumed that he will be back again.  He lives in nearby Granger, and is proud to manage his hometown team.

However, when you look around the rest of the Midwest League, you will see that more than half of the teams have new managers.  Of those returning, none have been with their teams for as long as four years, let alone going on a seventh season.

"Hales" is a great baseball manager and should be celebrated a lot more for his dedication to the Silver Hawks.  We retired his uniform number last year, meaning no one but him will ever wear #51 again.  He's approaching 500 wins with South Bend alone, and is over 500 for his managing career. 

That's not to say I always agree with every move he makes (anyone who listens to me regularly knows that I wish he would sacrifice bunt more).  However, when you look around the Minor League Baseball landscape and see other managers come to town in April and leave in September without getting involved with the community, be grateful that the Silver Hawks have a manager who is unquestionably dedicated to both the Silver Hawks team and the Michiana community.

As for the other coaches, Wellington Cepeda is very similar to Mark Haley.  "Beef", as he is affectionately nicknamed, has been a coach in South Bend four previous years, and this will be his fifth.  I'm not qualified to evaluate how well he handles the pitchers, but as you look at the long list of his former players that are making the big leagues, I think that speaks volumes for his talents as a coach.

Hitting coach Bobby Smith will be new to coaching in 2011, so we don't have a lot to go by here.  However, including parts of five seasons in the majors, he had a 14-year professional baseball career (the vast majority in the minors).  Sometimes it is guys like that who are the best teachers, because they have been around long enough to fail, succeed, fail again, succeed again, etc.  I'm excited to meet him and see how he works with the young hitters.

D'Backs Sign Two More Free Agents

I just recently received an email from the Diamondbacks, announcing the signing of Xavier Nady and Henry Blanco.

I post information like this for two reasons:
1)  It obviously is big news for the parent club of the Silver Hawks
2)  It directly impacts some former Silver Hawks who are trying to get to the majors

Today's signing could directly impact Gerardo Parra and Konrad Schmidt -- both of whom played in South Bend.

Parra's somewhat disappointing big league numbers are the reason why Arizona was looking for left field help.  Nady will most likely be the starting left fielder, bumping Parra to the fourth outfielder spot (with Chris Young in center and Justin Upton in right).

Konrad Schmidt got a taste of the big leagues with a September call-up in 2010, and I guess you could say he had an outside shot of being the backup to Miguel Montero in 2011.  However, with the addition of Blanco, Schmidt will likely go back to AAA Reno and not be a mainstay in the majors until 2012 at the earliest.

Oddly, only two (Montero and Upton) of the projected starting eight position players for Arizona would have spent time with the South Bend Silver Hawks.

New Poll Question

It's been up for a day, but I'm kind of intrigued by the new poll question that I posted on the right side of the page.  This time of year, all you hear about is how it's better to give than to receive.  But let's be honest, many of us like to receive presents too!

I figured we should poll the audience.  Besides, it's an anonymous poll, so no one is going to judge you if you're someone who would rather receive a cool gift than give one.  There's no shame in that.  Maybe you don't like shopping.  Maybe you never know what to get your loved ones.  Maybe the giving causes you way too much stress.

Or, are you someone who truly loves to give gifts?  Someone who relishes the look on your loved ones faces when they open up that brand new (fill in the blank). 

Speaking of giving, the Silver Hawks are giving out free tickets to families in need this year, but we need recommendations.  The promotion ends today at 5 PM, so act quickly and send Santa Swoop an email today!  All the information can be found as the lead story on http://www.silverhawks.com/. 

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.

Finally, Some Thoughts on the New Staff

(First of all, I had some blog issues today, thus the new design. More on that later.)

I've been promising you this for a couple of days now, but things have been busy around here and I'm just now getting around to putting it up.

First off, as a reminder, here is the Silver Hawks 2011 field staff:

Manager - Mark Haley
Pitching Coach - Wellington Cepeda
Hitting Coach - Bobby Smith

Rather than give you my thoughts on the guys, I figured I could do better. I just got off the phone with Mike Bell, who is Arizona's new Director of Player Development. I asked Mike about the staff and about what we can expect to see with the Silver Hawks in 2011. Here are some of his thoughts...

About Mark Haley...
-Everybody in Silver Hawks country knows Mark Haley.
-He is extremely dedicated, hardworking, and knowledgeable about the game of baseball.
-(on Mark staying with South Bend for seven years) You don't see it every day. Someone who is willing to go back, not only willing, but truly excited to be there. It gives our organization and staff some stability.

About new hitting coach Bobby Smith when they were teammates in Charlotte (AAA)...
-We were in similar situations in that we were both six year free agents and both trying to put ourselves back on the mat.
-Bobby and I had an unbelievable relationship on the field and made a commitment to each other that we would look after each other.

Even though we don't know exactly who is going to be here, here are Mike's thoughts on the group that is most likely to come to South Bend...
-There will obviously be some new faces. Yakima was in the playoffs, and even though Missoula didn't make it, they fought to the end, so you're going to get a group of winners.
-You'll see great pitching depth with the starters.
-South Bend will have a pretty talented infield, like you had last year.
-There is going to be some great competition in the outfield.

I want to thank Mike for his time, because you know how busy he is trying to evaluate players, and get acclimated to the new position. He was very gracious on the phone and I'm sure I'll have him for a pregame interview at some point (if not two or three times) in the upcoming season.

Updated Field Staffs

Great Lakes announced their staff over the weekend, the Silver Hawks made the announcement yesterday, and the Hot Rods followed suit today. I'll still have more thoughts on the Silver Hawks staff when I get the time (probably tomorrow -- busy today). We are waiting on the Chiefs and the Timber Rattlers to round out the league. Updatesd list is below.

Beloit Snappers (same as last year)
Manager - Nelson Prada
Pitching Coach - Gary Lucas
Hitting Coach - Tommy Watkins

Bowling Green Hot Rods (same as last year)
Manager - Brady Williams
Pitching Coach - RC Lichtenstein
Hitting Coach - Manny Castillo

Burlington Bees (Kane County's staff from 2010 due to affiliation change)
Manager - Aaron Nieckula
Pitching Coach - Jimmy Escalante
Hitting Coach - Haas Pratt

Cedar Rapids Kernels
Manager - Brent Del Chiaro (was hitting coach last two years)
Pitching Coach - Trevor Wilson
Hitting Coach - Mike Elyward

Clinton LumberKings
Manager - Eddie Menchaca
Pitching Coach - Rich Dorman
Hitting Coach - Terry Pollreisz

Dayton Dragons
Manager - Delino DeShields (former big league star)
Pitching Coach - Tony Fossas
Hitting Coach - Alex Pelaez

Fort Wayne TinCaps
Manager - Shawn Wooten
Pitching Coach - Willie Blair
Hitting Coach - Kory DeHaan

Great Lakes Loons
Manager: John Shoemaker
Pitching Coach: Kremlin Martinez
Hitting Coach: Lenny Harris

Kane County Cougars
Manager - Vance Wilson
Pitching Coach - Jim Brower
Hitting Coach - Damon Hollins

Lake County Captains
Manager - Ted Kubiak
Pitching Coach - Jeff Harris
Hitting Coach - Jim Rickon

Lansing Lugnuts
Manager - Mike Redmond
Pitching Coach - Vince Horsman
Hitting Coach - John Tamargo, Jr.

Peoria Chiefs - Not yet announced

Quad Cities River Bandits (same as last year)
Manager - Johnny Rodriguez
Pitching Coach - Tim Leveque
Hitting Coach - Joe Kruzel

South Bend Silver Hawks
Manager - Mark Haley
Pitching Coach - Wellington Cepeda
Hitting Coach - Bobby Smith

West Michigan Whitecaps
Manager - Ernie Young
Pitching Coach - Mark Johnson
Hitting Coach - Ben Oglivie

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - Not yet announced

2011 Field Staff Announced

It's finally here! Late this afternoon, the Silver Hawks 2011 Field Staff was announced. You can read the full press release on http://www.silverhawks.com/.

I'll have more tomorrow.