Friday, May 29, 2009

PROMOTION ALSO HELPING JACKALS BOSS STAY FIT

This may fall into the "nothing ventured nothing gained" category.

New Jersey Jackals President Greg Lockard, who also is chairman of the Can-Am League directors, decided to pay a visit to a Parsippany bicycle shop one day on his way to work at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls. Before he had time to tell a single Yogi story, Lockard and Cycle Craft manager Brendan Poh had started putting together a promotion for the Jackals and the second Floyd Hall-owned team, the Sussex Skyhawks of Augusta.

Don't let it be said the old prexy doesn't know how to cook up a deal for the baseball teams.

May has been National Bike Month, but this deal is going to continue for a while with bicycle safety, a bike rodeo and some giveaways with a few Jackals players--and perhaps some Skyhawks--taking part.

But the part I like best is to know Lockard, who always looks fit and is known to frequent the golf course, is riding a bicycle 8.6 miles from home to the ballpark "two or three days a week."

"It's great exercise," says Lockard, who admits he had not been a regular with this form of transportation is some time. "I'm seeing a conditioning benefit; I really feel good."

He makes one more promise that oneday "soon" he will ride 50 miles between Yogi Berra Stadium and Skylands Park, where the defending league champions play.

It is a nice promotion all the way around.

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE ALIVE THANKS TO ROCKIES FARMHAND

On my master roster of Independent graduates who are now with major league organizations, I only show three players remaining from the South Coast League which had a one-year go at it in 2007. One of them is doing his best to see that the league is not soon forgotten.

When I was doing research for this week's Independent Baseball Insider, up popped Scott Robinson, who is enjoying a dandy season for Colorado's South Atlantic League team in Asheville, NC. Only 20 and now playing the outfield, the right-handed-hitting Robinson is in the top 10 in hitting (.326) and is setting the pace for the Tourists in both runs (30) and hits (58). He also has 16 steals, the type of numbers that speak of a bright future.

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